CONWAY — At Conway’s Special Town Meeting this weekend, voters will be asked to authorize 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.

The borrowing matter tops the eight-article warrant, which will come before residents on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 1 p.m. at Conway Grammar School, 24 Fournier Road.

Both the Selectboard and the Finance Committee (in a 3-0 vote because two members were absent) recommended the borrowing amount, which they estimate should be enough to cover bills that need to be paid, while also providing a cushion if further unanticipated repairs are needed. Highway Superintendent Ron Sweet estimated $1 million should cover Conway’s immediate needs.

“We’re anticipating that we get — sometime in the next 12 months — something from the state; the timing and amount of which, remain unknown,” Finance Committee Chair Alan Singer said in November. “Ron, last week, was pretty adamant that $1 million would be sufficient.”

That state aid may to be on the way, as legislators passed a $3.1 billion supplemental budget this week that includes $15 million for disaster relief.

Selectboard member Chris Waldo described the borrowing at the joint Selectboard-Finance Committee meeting as like a “construction loan,” where the town can only borrow as much as it needs and then only pay interest on the amount borrowed, not the full amount authorized to be taken.

“That was my only apprehension. I didn’t want to pay extra interest on money we might not need,” Waldo said.

With the cushion afforded by the $1.5 million of borrowing authority, Selectboard member Erica Goleman said town officials wouldn’t have to come back before voters for another Special Town Meeting if costs exceed Sweet’s $1 million estimate.

Additionally, the town is planning to post a running balance of deficit spending on Conway’s website to be transparent with residents about where money is being spent.

Singer said being transparent about the town’s reasoning for borrowing money, as well as emphasizing where money is being spent in warrants, will go a long way toward making residents more comfortable with the town’s request.

“My thoughts are, it’s all about the execution, too. … The potential for pushback is more in the details and in execution than in the theory of borrowing,” Singer said. “I think we should go ahead and authorize up to a million and a half.”

Other articles on Saturday’s warrant include establishing a property tax work-off program for veterans and qualifying low-income seniors, which would allow people to garden, work with Conway Grammar School students or get involved in other similar community projects in exchange for a reduction in their tax bills, according to the town’s voter guide.

Article 4 will authorize the town to convey already-sold property on Ashfield Road to resident Hank Horstmann, who purchased the property through a town auction.

Article 7 concerns two Community Preservation Fund appropriations: $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, which will involve digitally scanning documents and physically archiving them in a safe place.

Other articles include 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.

The full Town Meeting warrant and the voters’ guide can be found on the town website at conwayma.gov/p/119/TOWN-MEETING.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.