SEEKONK — After seeing some town services gutted earlier this year after a Proposition 1/2 override failed, voters moved last night to restore many of those cuts during the fall Town Meeting.

Residents decided with few dissenting votes to buy or lease five police cruisers, a new fire truck and new school buses.

They also overwhelmingly passed proposals to replace roofs at two schools and town hall.

A proposal was approved to hire and equip three police officers, add five firefighters, and restore several school department positions, 34 of which were eliminated over the summer because of the budget cutbacks.

The meeting was adjourned to Monday at 7 p.m. at the high school.

Last night’s votes came after a divisive battle over the override proposal, which became necessary when financial projections showed a big shortfall in income. Not only did the failure of the override spark layoffs, it forced the closing of North School.

But since then, the town has received some unexpected income, particularly $783,000 from the state, including $379,000 from the town’s share of the motor vehicle excise tax. Seekonk should also be getting an extra $108,000 in unforeseen investment income, $328,000 saved from the health insurance fund, and $111,000 returned by the Police Department because of unfilled positions and employees on extended leave, said Finance Director Bruce Alexander.

Most of the early monetary items generated several questions and some debate. They passed overwhelmingly.

The support of two thirds of the voters was required because the money came from one of the town’s two stabilization funds.

An appropriation of just under $724,000 was approved to replace the leaky roofs at the Hurley Middle School and Aitken Elementary School (both of which are 10 years beyond their warranties), to make improvements to the cafeterias of both schools, and to replace 24,000 square feet of deteriorating tile at Hurley.

The cafeterias need drop ceilings because debris collects on the ceiling, said Schools Supt. Emile Chevrette.

Board of Health member Victoria Kinniburgh urged residents to support the cafeteria improvements. “I don’t think people want dust or flakes of lead falling on their children’s meals,” she said.

It took 50 minutes for residents to give their near-unanimous approval to a warrant article for leasing five police cruisers, a new car for the police chief, and a new fire truck; buying five municipal vehicles, including a compact pickup truck; and buying or leasing two mini-school buses and a pickup truck with snowplow and sander for the School Department.

All would replace existing vehicles at a total estimated cost of $313,894 just for this year.

To emphasize the need for new cruisers, Town Administrator Paul E. Lemont had some parked at the entrance to the high school.

“The majority have more than 120,000 miles,” he said. One has 181,000. Another has 170,000.

“We need them desperately,” he said. “One or two of those vehicles will not pass inspection, so they have to come off the road.”

Police Chief Ronald Charron said the department actually needs seven vehicles, in part because proposals to buy new cruisers have been scaled back or eliminated in recent years.

“Hopefully we can get back to a program where we replaced three or four vehicles every spring,” he said. “To be asking officers to be driving police cars in the condition they are in is inexcusable.”