Less than 10 percent of Hooksett’s registered voters showed up for Hooksett’s town election on Tuesday, May 8, but those who did were largely supportive of the town’s financial requests.

Of the 7,902 registered voters in town, only 742 cast votes.

“We had a very low turnout,” said Town Council Chairman George Longfellow. “But I think the people that did vote all had a real purpose.”

The only town request denied by voters was for $1.5 million to finish the expansion of the town’s sewer plant. It narrowly failed to get the necessary 60 percent majority, 396-328.

The $1.5 million could be covered if the Town Council successfully negotiates an $18 million bond – approved by voters last year – with Cabela’s.

Voters approved the town’s proposed operating budget of $15,110,889, which was boosted at last month’s deliberative session of Town Meeting by $100,000 by residents who said they wanted to ease the sting of higher health insurance costs planned to be charged to town employees. The budget passed 402-318.

Hooksett’s unionized police officers, who’ve been without a contract for the last year, will get about $166,000 in new salaries and benefits over the next three years, after voters handily approved a contract 517-207.

Voters also approved launching a revolving loan fund to pay for police special details.

The contract will cost about $71,000 in the first year.

Some town employees will also get raises this year, as voters – by a 454-275 count – approved spending $83,000 to put in a “wage pool.” The town’s department heads and town administrator will draw from the money after determining who deserves raises and by how much.

By a 423-294 count, voters approved $50,000 for parks facilities.

Parks officials have said they hope to use the money to build a new park, with parking and playground equipment, on town-owned land at Hackett Hill Road and Corriveau Drive.

Parks officials have said the west-side park will reduce the town’s parks “deficit,” which needs to be erased in order for the department to draw from impact fees, collected when new residential developers get their building permits. The fees are returned to the developers if they’re not used within six years.

Voters also approved a request to return 100 percent of current use revenue – collected when developers take property out of current use, a state in which the undeveloped property is greatly devalued for tax purposes – to the town’s conservation fund, with no annual cap.

The article passed 507-214.

The vote removes a $100,000 annual cap on the amount of current use revenue entering the fund that voters approved last year.

Zoning changes Voters had mixed feelings about several proposed zoning changes, including one that a prominent Planning Board member publicly warned could cause the town legal trouble.

Zoning Amendment 1 asked to extend the town’s Route 3 “performance zone,” which allows for a wide range of potential developments but sets uniform criteria for factors like lighting and noise, up Route 3 from Main Street to the Allenstown line. The amendment failed 386- 298. The amendment asked also to prohibit automotive facilities like gas stations and repair stations in the corridor.

3A Development, the group responsible for the proposed University Heights development, and which partnered with the town and the DOT to create the College Park Drive “connector road,” has been planning a gas station in the area.

In a letter published in The Union Leader, Planning Board Vice Chairman Raymond Guay said the town’s amendment would have undoubtedly lead to a lawsuit from the developer.

“If you don’t mind donating your hard-earned tax dollars to send our town attorney on a beautiful vacation in the islands, just to lose this case in the end... then vote ‘yes’ on No. 1,” he wrote.

Elections Fourteen elected seats came open this year, though there were no contested races. David Dickson, Bill Gahara and incumbent George Longfellow were all elected to three-year terms on the Town Council.