CONWAY — With few in opposition, Special Town Meeting voters approved borrowing up to $1.5 million to cover emergency deficit spending in the wake of July’s heavy rainstorms that damaged miles upon miles of road in town.

“We will only borrow the amount we would absolutely need,” said Selectboard Chair Philip Kantor.

With about 140 residents in attendance at Conway’s Special Town Meeting on Saturday, all eight articles passed with large majorities.

The most controversial article on the warrant was the borrowing request to pay for road repairs necessitated by multiple catastrophic rainstorms during the summer. This article had a handful of people voting against it during a voice vote on the Town Meeting floor.

About $500,000 has already been spent by the town to fix these roads, and Highway Superintendent Ron Sweet estimated $1 million — or an additional $500,000 — should cover Conway’s immediate needs.

The town asked voters to approve borrowing up to $1.5 million to provide a cushion if further unanticipated repairs are needed. The town plans to post a running balance of deficit spending on Conway’s website to be transparent with residents about where money is being spent.

There is also a possibility that the town may need to borrow even less money that anticipated if it receives state aid. Legislators recently passed a $3.1 billion supplemental budget that includes $15 million for disaster relief.

“We are optimistic we will get something, whether it is $100,000 or $1 million or something in between,” Kantor said.

Concerns brought up at the meeting focused on building back better. Many residents expressed hope that this large sum of money could also go toward future storm mitigation projects. Selectboard members stressed that half of the money they were likely to use had already been spent, but they, too, are concerned about preparing for future floods.

The other articles passed at Saturday’s Special Town Meeting include: approving two Community Preservation Fund appropriations of $7,825 to provide plants and supplies for the Veterans Memorial Park Habitat Restoration Project and $14,074 for the town clerk to archive vital records from 1900 and beyond; establishing a property tax work-off program for veterans and qualifying low-income seniors; authorizing the town to convey already-sold property on Ashfield Road to resident Hank Horstmann; adopting “Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law” as the town’s official manual for conducting Town Meetings; transferring $10,000 to maintain a balance for town employee benefits; and transferring money for Police Department and Assessor’s Office expenses.

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.