Yea votes were 2,709 in Southbury and 772 in Middlebury. The nays were 946 in Southbury, 831 in Middlebury.

Southbury's $18,835,263 municipal budget, the first item on the two-question ballot, received overwhelming support with 3,056 yeas to 600 nays. This budget represents a 3.42 percent reduction over current year, trimming spending by $666,483.

After the votes were counted, the Board of Finance convened and voted to set next year's mil rate at 20.9, a drop from this year's 21.1. For example a homeowner with property assessed at $300,000 will pay $60 less in taxes next year.

Voter turnout in Southbury at 3,663 including 56 absentee ballots, was approximately 25 percent of the 14,414 registered voters. Town Hall records indicate that this is a pretty average number.

For instance, last year, in the three referendums it took to pass the Region 15 budget, turnout ranged from 2,961 in the first ballot to 3,333 in the second, to 4,461 in the third.

Budget trimming fervor, rather than unusually high turnout, contributed to the long line of voters that at times streamed all the way to the Annex building, with the polls remaining open until 8:45 p.m. so that people who were on line by 8 p.m. could cast their votes.

In Monday morning quarterbacking on Thursday morning, the decision to cut one table of checkers from the usual three tables of poll-watching staff was considered largely to blame, along with the decision to concentrate all Heritage Village condo residents in the A-H line, with all other town districts in a second line.

The result was that in the early morning, late afternoon, and evening, there was virtually no one at the Village table, and everyone else waiting at to be checked at table number two.

Mid-morning to early afternoon the line of Villagers at table number one snaked out to the parking lot.

Some have suggested, with hindsight, that splitting the reference books and opening a third table would have helped once the problem was identified.

Registrars JoAnn Bolin and Marie Greene agreed, but told Voices that after the polls open, state statute prohibits making any changes to those books.