MOUNT DESERT – The town will use about $1 million to improve its sewer system after all, voters decided at Tuesday night’s annual town meeting after a lengthy debate that featured both a secret ballot and a voice vote.

Residents were voting on a total proposed budget of $12 million, but the million-dollar question had to do with the sewer bond article, which was controversial in part because a vocal minority of the 139 voters present in the elementary school auditorium said that they think the town should institute a user fee for those who use the public sewer.

Even some of those who have their own septic systems, however, supported spending the money to fix the Summit Road sewer system.

“I’d like to state my support for this article. It benefits me even though I’m on septic,” selectman Patrick Smallidge said at the meeting. “We all benefit from cleaner waters.”

Smallidge’s remarks were greeted by a smattering of applause from the crowd before they voted to pass the $1.25 million bond issue. The rest of the funds will be used to reconstruct the Ripples Road and the sidewalks in Seal Harbor.

The town also voted to fund the entire $14,000 sum requested by the Island Explorer bus system. The board of selectmen had recommended that the town fund only $10,000 of their request because the bus system doesn’t charge users on a per-ride basis.

“It’s time for this organization to start ticketing,” Smallidge said.

Island Explorer officials disagreed, saying that the bus system isn’t tax-payer dependent, since a percentage of the Acadia National Park user pass funds the buses.

“Mount Desert is a key member of our partnership,” Paul Murphy said. “We would hate to see that partnership dissolve.”

The motion to fund only a portion of the requested sum was soundly defeated by voters.

In other business, voters decided to spend $1,000 on a white-tailed deer management plan. The funds will be used to mail a survey to residents, the selectmen said.

By late Tuesday evening, the residents were well on their way to passing most of the 67 articles on this year’s warrant.