FOSTER — Residents at a special Financial Town Meeting last week rejected a measure to contribute $35,000 toward the cost of a full traffic light at the intersection of routes 6 and 94.

The move would have expedited the installation of a light at the intersection, but it does not rule out the possibility that a light may someday be placed there. Route 94 is the road where the town’s elementary school is located and is the main access point for the town’s seat of government.

The state Department of Transportation had agreed to install a traffic light at the intersection of the two state roads, which currently has a single, blinking “caution” light. But the agency has said it would not install the light until at least after 2011 due to budget constraints.

The DOT offered to move up the installation to as early as next year if the town agreed to contribute to its costs.

In a last-minute deal negotiated by state Rep. Nicholas Gorham, R-Coventry, Foster, Glocester, and state Sen. Leo Blais, R-Coventry, Foster, Scituate, with the governor, the town would have paid $35,000 of the approximately $175,000 cost of the light, according to Town Council President Colette Matarese.

The town would have used either capital or surplus funds for its contribution, with no effect on the tax rate.

About 100 residents attended the meeting at the Capt. Isaac Paine School on Foster Center Road on June 17, according to Town Clerk Tina Freeman. After debating the merits of the expense for about 45 minutes, residents, in a voice vote, rejected the proposal.

The vote does not impact the state’s prior agreement to install the light after 2011, said Matarese.

In a separate vote, residents approved using $189,181 in surplus money to cover a deficit in this year’s School Department budget. The move does not affect the tax rate. The deficit is the result of the hiring of an additional special-education teacher and other expenses.

pmarcelo@projo.com