Selectmen, from left, Joseph Connors, Isaiah Peppard, Chairman Douglas Ebert, and moderator Mary Dennison are seen Thursday at Farmingdale’s annual Town Meeting. Ashley Allen/Kennebec Journal

FARMINGDALE —Twenty-five voters spent 39 minutes at Thursday night’s annual Town Meeting approving a $2.6 million spending plan that goes into effect on July 1.

With spending approval in place, town elected officials are now able to award a bid to start repairs on Ryder Road that runs off Northern Avenue along the town’s southern border.

Paying for roadwork in Farmingdale was a clear priority in the budget, with nearly one-third of all spending dedicated to the task. The remaining funds approved in the budget will pay for the costs of operating the town, including payroll and benefits for employees, critical services and debt service on the new fire station and the new fire truck, along with support for social service agencies that provide services for town residents.

The budget is 12% higher than the $2.3 million approved for the current budget.

With the exception of a few clarifying questions, all of the warrant articles passed without objection.

“We didn’t have any controversies,” Douglas Ebert, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said after the meeting ended.

The property tax rate for Farmingdale’s next fiscal year will be calculated this summer, now that voters on Tuesday approved the $28.1 million budget for the Hallowell-based school district that serves Farmingdale. Kennebec County’s $19.3 million budget was approved in March. It currently stands at $20.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Before voting got underway, officials paused the meeting to give thanks to two town residents whose service and citizenship was recognized with Farmingdale’s 2023 Spirit of America Award.

“Dana and Gail Parker (are) some of the greatest citizens to live in Farmingdale,” Ebert said, reading from the award certificate. “You will not find them in a history book, not even a book about Maine. Yet almost everyone that has ever met Dana and Gail will always remember them.”

At Farmingdale’s annual Town Meeting on Thursday, Dana and Gail Parker were given the Spirit of America Award to honor their years of community service. Selectmen Chairman Douglas Ebert presented Dana Parker, at left, with the award. Ashley Allen/Kennebec Journal

The Parkers, who have lived in Farmingdale for five decades, have worked in the service of their town, with Gail volunteering as a poll worker for more than 40 years and on the Planning Board and Dana serving on the Sewer Committee. They have attended children’s sports contests, concerts and parades and donated to fundraisers, volunteered for Meals on Wheels and Trek Across Maine. Dana has served as an active member and commander of the American Legion in Hallowell.

Dana Parker, who attended Town Meeting, was overwhelmed and surprised by the award, and said he’d tell his wife, who wasn’t able to attend.

“I don’t think we did anything over and above,” he said following the meeting. “We had a chance to give back a little, we’d give back a little. We had a chance to get involved and we’d get involved.”

Parker said he was planning to come to Town Meeting as he does every year. “It’s what you do,” he said. “It’s your civic duty.”

At Tuesday’s municipal election, Isaiah Peppard was elected selectman, Stephen Stratton was elected road commissioner and Hillary Roberts was elected to the Regional School Unit 2 board of directors. Each of those terms is for three years.