Voters approved a $19 million municipal budget for fiscal year 2015 on Monday night after debating at length the town’s recycling and trash removal service.

The budget represents a $668,000 increase compared to last year of which $45,539 will be spent on a new solid waste contract with ABC Disposal Service, Inc.

The New Bedford-based company will handle trash service and haul recyclables such as cardboard, plastic and glass.

It already handles the town’s trash service. Currently, the highway department removes recycling in Rochester.

Under the contract each resident gets two, 96-gallon trash bins, one for garbage and for one recycling.

The recycling bin is considered “single stream,” meaning cardboard, plastic and glass can all be put in the one bin. The new contract takes effect Jan. 1.

Voters questioned the move and asked why the town would change a service that was working well.

“It’s in the town’s best interest,” Highway Superintendent Jeff Eldridge said.

Per state law Eldridge, as an elected official, is not allowed to use his crews to remove trash or recycling.

If residents wanted to keep the service a municipal one, it must be overseen by an appointed official in a Department of Public Works.

It’s an agency the town doesn’t have and likely couldn’t afford, according to Town Administrator Rich LaCamera.

Planning Board Chair Arnie Johnson, along with a handful of residents, said the town should research the issue further.

Before the budget vote, LaCamera, who will retire this summer, outlined what drove the increase during his final report at Town Meeting.

“For the past five years it’s been very difficult to balance out budgets,” he said. “We have seen some improvement in the economy at the state level.”

Despite that news the town only received $46,000 from the state aid fund and $12,150 to assist Rochester Memorial School students.

“That works out to be about $25 per student. We’re receiving less money than we were getting five years ago,” LaCamera said.

However, an uptick in housing and business construction will soon “bring in a significant amount of revenue,” LaCamera said.

Last year, residents approved an upgrade for the ambulance service. Ultimately, that has allowed Rochester to charge insurance companies a higher fee for transporting patients.

The ambulance budget will see an increase of $100,000 due to the change; however, the total cost for upgrading the service was $132,000.

Other budget increases included: $82,000 for Rochester Memorial School, $46,000 for Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, $46,000 for the county’s required retirement assessment and $30,000 for fire department safety equipment.