SUNDERLAND — Voters in Sunderland overwhelmingly approved a bond of $351,000 to be used to build a new town office, 125-79.

The total cost of building the new town office is expected to be $510,587 but the voters have spent about 20 years putting aside money in a town office reserve fund for the project. The current fund balance of $228,000 will be used for construction and for legal, engineering and architectural costs.

The town already owns property on Sunderland Hill Road, which will be the site of the offices.

Unlike many Vermont municipalities, Sunderland has no municipal building. Records are kept at the home of Town Clerk Rose Keough who rents space to the town.

According to the Select Board, the bond will add 0.0125 cents to the tax rate, causing an increase to the amount of property taxes on a $100,000 of $12.50 over the 20-year length of the bond repayment.

The new town office is expected to be a 3,000-square-foot, one-story building.

The Select Board tried to move forward with the project by including the cost of the building in the 2010 municipal budget but voters defeated the budget. It wasn’t passed until the building costs were removed.

Voters also approved the school budget of $2,209,908, which passed with a vote of 161-43, and the municipal general fund budget of $191,945, which passed with a vote of 181-21, and the municipal highway fund budget of $311,281, which passed with a vote of 175-27.