enlarge Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Joe Caputo speaks during the debate about what to pay Pittston’s administrative work force during the annual town meeting on Saturday morning.

A motion to completely cease funding of municipal salaries was approved by town residents Saturday, many of whom were upset that the Selectboard had voted to combine the administrative assistant position with the assessor's agent, the latter of which is typically contracted out by the board.

Residents will hold another town meeting within three weeks to re-examine an issue that sparked debate at Saturday's town meeting.

After the motion to cease funding was approved, residents revisited the article and authorized the Selectboard to use $55,750 from the budget to pay municipal employees over the next three weeks while the Selectboard re-examines the budget.

Selectmen Ted Sparrow Jr. and Stanley Byrnes voted to combine the part-time jobs into one full-time position. Selectwoman Wanda Burns-Macomber was the lone dissenting vote.

Before the motion was made, the Selectboard had recommended $167,250 to pay all the town positions for the 2009 fiscal year.