Orleans Voters Pass Three Overrides

ORLEANS – There were few surprises in Tuesday’s special town election, as voters passed all three overrides put before them on the ballot.

Question 1 sought $925,000 to fund salaries and benefits for eight new firefighter positions for the Orleans Fire Department. Voters overwhelmingly approved the question 1,294 to 411, according to preliminary results released after the polls closed Tuesday.

The staffing funding will be supplemented by an additional $231,000 in free cash that was authorized at the Oct. 16 special town meeting.

Voters also passed Question 2, which sought an additional $500,000 to be put toward the purchase of a new ladder truck for the fire department. That measure passed 1,190 to 510. The funding comes in addition to $1.6 million that was approved for the truck’s purchase at the annual town meeting in May.

Question 3, which sought $168,000 to create the equivalent of 1.5 new positions in the town’s recreation department, also passed with voters 1,180 to 519. The funding will also be put toward additional maintenance costs incurred by the department.

Prior to the election, three articles seeking support for the funding requests passed with voters at last month’s special town meeting.

A total of 1,706 voters participated in Tuesday’s election, a turnout of 30 percent. Town Clerk Kelly Darling said that about 1,100 of the 1,500 mail-in ballots that were sent out to those residents who requested them were returned.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com