VAN BUREN – The final numbers for the budget approved by residents at the annual town meeting Wednesday night had not been compiled Friday, but a tax increase seemed imminent.

Town Manager Larry Cote said the numbers would be crunched on Monday. Election results were not available Friday because Town Clerk Kathleen Cyr was off.

About 70 residents, which Cote said was a small turnout, took 21/4 hours to go through the 38 articles in the warrant.

Daniel Lapointe, the town’s economic development coordinator, was moderator of the session.

“It was a tough meeting,” Cote said Friday morning. “There were questions on everything.

“Figuring out the numbers is my Monday project,” he said. “I expect we will be looking at a 1-mill increase.”

The meeting was held at the Van Buren District Secondary School auditorium a day after the annual SAD 24 budget meeting and municipal elections.

Most articles seeking money had separate recommendations by the Town Council and the town’s budget committee, helping make the meeting more contentious than usual.

Overall, the budget committee recommendation totaled $2,487,093, and the Town Council recommendations amounted to $2,419,889. The difference was nearly $68,000.

Before the meeting, Cote said the Town Council’s recommendations could increase the tax rate by 1 mill. The higher budget committee recommendations could bring a tax increase of 2 to 3 mills, according to Cote.

He explained that the Town Council recommendations, which were mostly the result of 3-2 votes, cut most accounts by 3 percent.

Cote said most accounts, except for salaries, were cut by the Town Council votes.

Cote also explained that recommendations to use large amounts of surplus money to keep the tax rate low could deplete the surplus quickly and leave the town in an unwanted financial situation.

It’s not the first year that surplus money is being used.

In July 2002, the town’s surplus fund had $1,314,171 in it. By the end of June 2003, the fund was down to $1,169,042. Using another $150,000 from the fund this year could be asking for problems, Cote said.

Residents elected two town councilors, two SAD 24 directors, one town clerk, one trustee for the Van Buren Hospital District, one trustee for the Van Buren Water District, and one trustee for the Van Buren Light and Power District. No final numbers were available.

Town Clerk Kathleen Cyr, hospital trustee Gary J. Ouellette and water district trustee Herman Pelletier were unopposed.

Six people opposed each other for the two three-year positions on the Town Council. Incumbents Melvin E. Madore and John R. Rossignol were opposed by Louis Caron Jr., Charles Clarke, John Gagnon and William W. Hill. Madore and Rossignol were re-elected.

For the SAD 24 board’s two three-year seats, incumbent Thomas M. Hebert was opposed by Cynthia Doucette and Gary J. Ouellette. Hebert and Doucette won the two seats.

Carl Morrow was opposed by Gary J. Ouellette for the three-year seat on the board of trustees of the Van Buren Light and Power District. Morrow was re-elected.