More than 80 residents voted not to change the positions of tax collector and treasurer from elective to appointed, after debating which method is more likely to yield qualified people and whether an appointed official is less independent than an elected one.

Lee Jackson, Simeon Blake Brown and others saw the proposed change as a diminution of people's rights.

Millard Howard and Ellen Stevens-Budzko agreed in principle but pointed out that elections might allow an unqualified person to win office – especially, Stevens-Budzko said, with the low turnout in recent Palermo elections.

The selectmen's salary of $11,500, recommended by a majority of the Budget Committee, was approved without debate. The request for money to pay other town employees generated a half-hour debate and several amendments.

Town Clerk Sheila McCarty, Code Enforcement Officer Darryl McKenney and others discussed the pros and cons of hourly versus annual salaries; vacation time (very little, McCarty said, contrary to rumors that town employees get four or six weeks off); and who sets salaries and hours.

By three votes on a written ballot, residents rejected former Town Clerk Janet Potter's amendment to increase the deputy clerk's stipend from $1,000 to $3,500.

Voters increased funding to six in-town programs from the selectmen's recommended $10,800 to $12,800. They added $2,000 for the Palermo Historical Society but rejected Stevens-Budzko's attempt to increase library funding from $3,000 to $4,000.

They added $1,500 to the health and safety line to help rescue-unit members buy the pagers they need to communicate with the Waldo County dispatch center. The decision brings town health and safety spending to $57,550.

Firefighters Elden Glidden and Dean Willoughby said the volunteer fire department budget already covers the $410 devices and that the cost will be offset by lower dispatching costs due to the shift from Augusta to the county.

Two proposed ordinance amendments were also approved. Voters adopted revised shoreland zoning regulations that conform to state guidelines; and they amended building permit fees from a flat $20 to 5 cents per square foot.