STONINGTON — Despite snow and ice that closed schools, government offices and businesses across the state, some 40 voters gathered at the Town Hall Monday to conduct Stonington’s annual Town Meeting.

Voters methodically made their way through 69 warrant articles, mostly pausing only briefly for clarification.

Along the way, they appropriated $1,119,360 in municipal spending and charitable donations.

The only lengthy discussion involved one of the charitable donations, a request from Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA) for a taxpayer contribution of $2,013.

After voters moved and seconded a motion to raise and appropriate the amount requested, voters debated the article for 30 minutes, questioning the value of the community agency for local residents and amending the article twice before taking a final vote.

The discussion started when Selectman Evelyn Duncan asked Town Manager Kathleen Billings-Pezaris to comment on how helpful WHCA has been to local residents.

“I haven’t had much luck with them,” Billings-Pezaris said, citing times she has called on the agency to help residents who needed heating assistance or help repairing heating devices. “As far as being a resource, I haven’t been too happy about it.

“Personally, I haven’t been too happy with them. Maybe I just need Tim King to come down and explain what the organization can do. I don’t want to impact people here adversely, but someone owes me an explanation. I’m not sure how much this place has benefited from it. Someone needs to explain.”

Resident Dan Hadley said he understood what Billings-Pezaris said about helping individuals in need, but added that WHCA can also help the town and local organizations apply for grants.

“This may be a weakness, but on the other side, I’ve seen them be helpful in grant applications,” he said.

Pat Gross, director of the Island Community Center, said the center has worked with WHCA on a program in which WHCA will be at the center two days to assist elderly and low-income residents with income-tax filings.

At one point in the discussion, a motion was made and seconded to amend the motion on the floor and appropriate no money for WHCA. That motion was defeated by a vote of 17 against to 13 in favor.

Another motion, which called for reducing the amount requested by half and appropriating $1,006.50, generated further discussion.

Voters asked whether someone from WHCA was there to explain the request.

Billings-Pezaris said the agency routinely sends a representative to the annual Town Meeting, but someone from the agency had called earlier Monday and said he was unable to attend because of road conditions caused by the bad weather.

She said the agency had submitted a letter with its request for funding. Town Clerk Marie Hutchinson retrieved the letter from an office downstairs and it was read into the record.

The letter states that the amount requested represents 2 percent of the total funds expended by WHCA in Stonington during the previous fiscal year. Further, the letter states that the agency provided $121,408 in services to Stonington and is requesting $2,428, “which represents 2 percent of the funds expended to help low-income” residents.

Billings-Pezaris claimed responsibility for the discrepancy between the amount requested by WHCA and the amount stated in the warrant article, but said she wasn’t sure how it happened.

According to the letter from WHCA, the agency served 106 households for a total expenditure of $121,408, not including 2,088 rides provided by the agency’s transportation service. The letter maintained that the agency provides Stonington residents with services that do not represent a dollar value, including its Child Safety Seat Program, which provides car seats to families and its Christmas for Kids program. Also, its Downeast Business Alliance division provides loans to small business owners, among other services available through WHCA.

The largest expenditure in Stonington by WHCA was $76,627 to 82 households for fuel assistance through the federally funded LIHEAP program.

“There are services,” Billings-Pezaris said, “but I don’t have a clear understanding of qualifications, how [residents] get assistance and the funding sources.”

The proposed amendment to raise and appropriate $1,006.50 to WHCA was defeated by a vote of 18 against to seven in favor. Voters then overwhelmingly approved the original motion and appropriated $2,013 to WHCA.

In the annual town election, Selectmen Chris Betts and Evelyn Duncan were re-elected.

In the islandwide School Committee election, incumbents Skip Greenlaw of Stonington and Don Sargent of Deer Isle were re-elected to three-year terms. Two newcomers were elected to three-year terms: Amanda Larrabee and Andre Vaughn, both of Deer Isle. Incumbent Mark Cormier of Deer Isle lost his bid for re-election to a third term.