BETHEL — Voters at Town Meeting on Tuesday returned two incumbents to the Selectboard and gave the town the green light to spend $2.4 million on municipal operations in the coming fiscal year.

In the only contested election, for a three-year term, Selectman David Eddy won 66 votes to challenger Derek Aldrighetti’s 47. The board in 2018 had appointed Eddy to complete the term of longtime Selectman Carl Russell, who resigned in June.

During a subsequent discussion of the other available seat on the Selectboard, Aldrighetti declined a voter’s nomination for Aldrighetti to challenge Selectboard Chairman Chris Jarvis for a two-year term.

“He’s the right man for the job in that seat,” Aldrighetti said.

The municipal budget, approved by a voice vote free of calls of “no” or “nay,” requires property taxpayers to contribute a little more than $2 million — up from $1.94 million in the current fiscal year. Town officials expect the tax rate for non-school expenses to rise to $1.02 per $100 of assessed valuation; the previous rate was 99 cents.

Overall, the budget calls for the town to spend about 1.7 percent more than in the current fiscal year. Some of the biggest increases include almost $100,000 more for the public works department — $32,000 of it for road salt, which Jarvis said is more expensive and which the department needs to use more of.

Also, the fire department expects to spend almost $169,000, a $24,000 increase. That includes $7,000 more for computer equipment and portable radios and $6,500 to buy hoses and test hose fittings.

Beyond the operating budget, voters approved all six separate spending articles, including a transfer from the general fund of $132,775 to create a capital reserve fund for improvements to roads. Other transfers from the general fund to new capital reserves include $5,000 for a cruiser for the town constable and $2,500 for land acquisition, conservation easements and other priorities of the town conservation commission.

Voters also raised to $24,650 their annual donation to social service agencies (up from $23,250), including $500 more each to the Clara Martin Center (up to $3,000) and the Orange County Parent Child Center (to $1,000). And the town will contribute almost $136,000 to the White River Ambulance Service, an increase of $8,000.

In Australian ballot voting for the White River Valley Unified School District, Lisa Manning Floyd was elected to a three-year term from Bethel, while Chris Reilly won a Royalton seat.

David Corriveau can be reached at dcorriveau@vnews.com and at 603-727-3304.