North Stonington — Residents along several private roads voiced hope, during a town meeting Monday night, that town maintenance of their roads will continue, ahead of an impending referendum on the matter.

Two ordinances on the issue will be voted on during a townwide referendum, which also will include the long-stalled budget, on Nov. 28.

The first ordinance echoes a state law that says private landowners are responsible for maintaining private roads. The second, "Private roads approved for Town Maintenance," makes an exception for eight roads that receive highway department help, as long as they are kept in passable condition, because of the "longstanding past practice."

If both are approved, nothing would change and the highway department would continue its work as usual. But if the second ordinance fails to pass, First Selectman Shawn Murphy said he would look into ending highway department work on those roads by January.

The town maintains all of the roads owned by the municipality but also parts of several privately owned roads — Armstrong Pentway, Avery Lane, Billings Road Extension, Cedars Road, Cranberry Bog Road, Patricia Avenue, Princess Lane and Wrights Road. Some have been maintained for several decades, for reasons that appear to have not been recorded.

Murphy over the summer considered ending that practice because he said residents have questioned it for years.

Residents of Patricia Avenue, which receives some upkeep from the town highway department, spoke out during selectmen meetings on the issue, leading Murphy to develop the ordinances.

Of the eight roads, most receive grading, plowing and sanding. Murphy estimated the work costs the town about $13,500 per year. He said he doesn't support the practice, viewing it as unfair to residents on other private roads who pay for their own maintenance, although he "won't fight" the second ordinance.

Selectman Nick Mullane said he will vote in favor of the ordinance.

Residents who spoke out Monday mostly supported the second ordinance but worried that the cost will lead other residents to vote no, despite the town having performed the work for years.

Kirsten Montgomery, a resident on the 0.6-mile stretch of Patricia Avenue that the town maintains, said that people might not realize how little the town spends on the roads or how long the town has provided the service, since the referendum question doesn't include that information. Her thoughts were echoed by residents of Cedars Road.

Patricia Avenue is owned by the Blue Lake Tax District, a neighborhood association that also owns the lake and dam. The residents were promised by a developer in the 1960s that the town would continue to maintain the road. Residents have said they need the service more because they are mostly year-round residents, unlike those on other roads with seasonal homes.

"It's just hard to imagine how we'd go about maintaining it (ourselves)," Montgomery said.

Residents also asked how many households were going to be affected if the town votes to end that practice. Murphy said he didn't have that information available.

Residents of both Patricia Avenue and Cedars Road said they would try to campaign in favor of the second ordinance over the next few weeks.

n.lynch@theday.com