BELMONT - Voters in a special refendum Thursday favored a second attempt to withdraw from Regional School Unit 20 by a tally of 36-15.

The town joins Belfast, where voters approved a new withdrawal bid on Tuesday by a vote of 310-131.

Voters in Northport and Searsmont are slated to vote on the question on Sept. 17, as part of a referendum that will include a validation vote on the 2013-14 RSU 20 budget.

Officials in Morrill have received a petition to hold a referendum on withdrawal but have not yet set a date. 

Supporters of withdrawal from the eight-town consolidated school district have cited local control and cost savings as justification for leaving.

A previous bid by six towns of the former Belfast-based School Administrative District 34 to withdraw simultaneously passed by a wide margin in a June referendum, but the results were thrown out for failing to meet a minimum voter turnout requirement. 

If the withdrawal had been successful, supporters in the the six towns hoped to form a new school distirct modeled on the old SAD 34.

The votes in Bemont and Belfast restart a statutory process in which the municipalities must form committees to draft withdrawal plans. Under current state law, each town must withdraw independently. As in the last bid, all withdrawal plans must be approved by the RSU 20 board and the Maine Department of Education.

If these steps are successful, the plans are subject to a final validation referendum.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com