BRADLEY – Voters approved all nine articles on Tuesday’s ballot, but the items authorizing funding of the school and municipal budgets passed by small margins.

Unlike most towns in Maine, Bradley voters set budgets at an election instead of a traditional town meeting. Residents vote on the warrant article by article, just as they do at town meetings, but in the privacy of a voting booth.

A record 246 residents out of the 1,099 who are registered in town cast ballots, according to Town Manager Michael Crooker. Last year, only about 100 people cast ballots.

“I think the nature of the increases this year brought people out,” Crooker said Wednesday. “We proposed substantial increases on the school and municipal side.”

The school budget, approved by 18 votes, increased by $162,000.

The municipal budget, up $50,000 over last year, passed by 34 votes.

Those increases will push the mill rate up from $14.01 per $1,000 assessed valuation to between $17.50 and $18, Crocker said. The mill rate won’t be set until later this month.

The town manager called the election results “a bit surprising.” Crooker said Wednesday that he had expected some of the articles to fail.

“The feedback I heard after the public hearing until election day was full of concern over the increases,” he said. “It was close, so people are still relatively evenly divided.

“We’re going to have to work hard to make sure the taxpayers are getting the most out of their dollars,” he said.

Elections to the Town Council and school committee also were held Tuesday. Oscar Emerson was re-elected to the council. He received 157 votes, and his opponent, Ronald Whitmore, garnered 95. Emerson’s term will expire in 2004.

Heidi Gifford was elected to her first three-year term on the school committee with 139 votes. Incumbent Shannon Trimm Whitmore was re-elected with 132 votes. Laurie Guay and Robert Smith received 107 and 64 votes respectively.