Scarborough residents will have the opportunity to provide the Town Council with more borrowing power with an affirmative vote on referendum Question 2 on the local ballot.

The question is requesting that residents approve a charter amendment that would increase the council’s single-item borrowing power from $400,000 to $700,000.

The charter currently specifies the council cannot borrow more than $400,000 on a single item without voter approval. Councilors believe this number was developed as a reaction to the Town Hall construction project.

Councilor Shawn Babine proposed the amendment as part of an overall package of charter amendment requests, but the only one to make it to this year’s ballot was the single-item expenditure.

Babine, along with most of the council, believed the current $400,000 level is too small given the costs of items today.

The final vote to place the issue on the ballot was 4 to 2 with Councilors Sylvia Most and Carol Rancourt voting against the measure. Councilor Bob Patch was absent from the vote.