It was anything but business as usual at Monday’s Onset Fire District Annual Meeting.

A record-setting number of voters attended the normally staid meeting ready to debate – loudly at times – salary increases, health insurance costs and Wareham’s $37,500 cut for collecting district taxes.

Officials said 165 people arrived for the meeting, held in the Dudley L. Brown Veterans of Foreign Wars, which was filled to near capacity. Last year, 44 people attended.

In the end, the only fiscal casualty was the $13.9 million proposal for a new fire station. Voters approved the station, but capped the cost at $8 million.

While most voters recognized the need for a new station, they had reservations about the cost and moving it to Sand Pond Road and out of the village.

“We need a new fire station,” said Carol Mazzarelli. “We don’t need a palace.”

However, the decision to cap the cost came close to being reversed at the end of the night after most voters had left. Resident Earl Fowler introduced a motion that would have reconsidered that vote intending to approve the $13.9 million station.

Moderator Robert Brousseau shot down the motion after learning Fowler voted against the cap, which made the action ineligible under meeting rules. An unidentified woman who did vote for the cap then motioned to reconsider the vote.

Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Osswald was not in favor, saying it went against the will of the voters. The handful of remaining residents defeated it soundly with a voice vote.

Original plans called for a 21,500-square-foot station across the street from the Onset Water Department. Fire officials hoped to build a two-story building with space to house the department’s nine vehicles under one roof. New bunks, space for training exercises, a fitness area, space for equipment storage and a community room able to accommodate 100 people were also included.

Officials said it’s unclear at this time how the reduced price would affect those plans.

“We’ve got to work under the constraints we’ve been given,” said Fire Chief Ray Goodwin. “We’ll make do with what we’ve got.”

Goodwin said he was heartened to see so many people turn out for the meeting.

“This is how participatory government works,” he said, adding he would have liked to see more residents take part in the planning phase to air concerns.

Before that vote, residents expressed displeasure with several items on the agenda, seeking to cut costs.

Of particular concern was the amount of money the district contributes for firefighter healthcare. The district pays 90 percent of that tab while firefighters pick up the remaining 10 percent.

Voters questioned that breakdown, asking if it could be changed. Former district Clerk-Treasurer Lenny Gay, who initially refused to identify himself before shouting voters forced him to reveal his name, said a 1973 district vote on the matter could not be undone.

The district’s attorney contradicted Gay, saying those percentages could be changed through collective bargaining with the firefighter’s union.

Voters also sought to save money when it came to the $37,500 Onset owed Wareham for processing district tax bills. That amount is 1.5 percent of the total tax bill. Residents asked why a lower amount couldn’t be negotiated with the town.

Prudential Committee Chair Charles Klueber said that the subject has been broached in the past, but he believed Onset wouldn’t get a better deal. In fact, he said, there was a chance Wareham may ask for a higher percentage or refuse to process the tax bills. That would add considerable cost for Onset, he said.

“The town said they want to go to five percent,” said Klueber. “I don’t know if we want to poke the bear.”

Hefty raises for Goodwin (15 percent) and Clerk-Treasurer Mary McCoy (7.3 percent) were debated, too. Voters approved their salaries at $94,010 and $72,000, respectively.

Prudential Committee members said McCoy’s raise brought her in line with clerk-treasurers in surrounding towns. With the amount of work she does for the district McCoy is a bargain, they said.

“We have a jewel in Mary and a lot of other districts would love to have her,” said Klueber.

Regarding Goodwin, Klueber said when he became chief four years ago the committee promised to raise his salary to make it competitive with similar towns when it could afford to. Klueber noted the committee was honoring that promise.

In total, 30 agenda items were approved with one withdrawn for further study. That article dealt with personnel guidelines.

Despite the contentious meeting, officials welcomed the large turnout.

“I’m seeing faces here I’ve never seen before,” said Water Commissioner Frank Kowzic.