FRAMINGHAM — It’s official: Framingham will become the newest city in Massachusetts.

A recount Monday affirmed the town’s April 4 vote to adopt a city form of government.

Proponents of the change expanded their margin of victory to 112 votes in the recount, picking up a net gain of four votes.

The historic decision sets the stage for Framingham to finally give up its title as the largest town in New England, a change residents have resisted numerous times in the past.

It also tees up a November election that is likely to draw a crowded field. The new city charter replaces Framingham’s Town Meeting and Board of Selectmen with a mayor and city council.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Mary Kate Feeney, chairwoman of the pro-city group Framingham First, said she hopes the recount will bring closure to those who fought the change.

The charter proposal sparked months of intense debate, driving voter turnout in the April 4 election above 28 percent, one of the highest levels seen in recent memory for a municipal contest.

“It is now our responsibility as a community to come together and embrace the will of the people to insure a smooth transition,” Feeney said. “We need to work together to ensure the promise of the Charter — a more open, transparent, ethical and participatory local government — is fully realized to all of our benefit.”

A ballot question asking voters to adopt the charter passed earlier this month by less than 1 percentage point, prompting opponents to request Monday’s recount. While it did not change the outcome, charter opponent Audrey Hall said the exercise was important to bring the long-running charter debate to an end.

“It’s good to have closure on it,” she said. “That’s the most important thing is to just know that the machines were accurate, the voters have spoken and this is the way that the decision stands. It’s good to have a closure on this whole two-year effort.”

Clerks from cities and towns as far away as Cape Cod and the North Shore traveled to Framingham to assist with the recount, which began shortly before 10 a.m. in Nevins Hall.

Eight teams of workers counted the ballots precinct-by-precinct, with lawyers, police officers and members of the pro-city and anti-charter sides looking on. A designated reader interpreted each ballot, calling out "yes" or "no" to a recorder, who filled in a grid to tally up the votes.

At each table, a pair of observers were given about three seconds to challenge the way each vote was recorded. Attorneys for the two sides shuttled between the tables, evaluating questions that arose.

Only about a dozen ballots were sent to the Board of Registrars for a determination on the voter’s intent. The group — made up of Republicans Eng Cho and Bruce Wester, and Democrats Michael Hugo and Fred Wallace — failed to agree on only two ballots, which were placed in segregation and not counted, according to Assistant Town Clerk Lisa Ferguson.

The board was also briefly called to action around 12:30 p.m. to discuss 28 absentee ballots that were previously rejected by the town clerk. Twenty seven were deemed defective because they were received too late. The other was scheduled to be sent to a town voter, but was returned to the clerk’s office and never delivered, Ferguson said. The voter later cast a separate absentee ballot. The registrars voted unanimously to exclude all 28 ballots.

In the final tally, 11,347 ballots were cast, with 5,695 in favor of the charter and 5,583 opposed. The pro-city camp picked up five votes in the recount. The anti-charter side gained one.

While the election is over, voters won’t have much time to rest before the next major contest. Candidates for mayor, City Council and School Committee can begin taking out papers next week to run for office.

The charter establishes an 11-member city council and strong mayor to lead city government, beginning in January 2018. The contest to be Framingham’s first mayor is already taking shape; state Rep. Chris Walsh, a Framingham Democrat, and former state Rep. John Stefanini have expressed interest in the position.

Voters will also select a slate of new School Committee members. The school board will grow from seven to nine members in January.

Nomination papers will be available beginning May 1 and must be returned by July 1. The community will hold a preliminary election Sept. 26 if necessary. The general election will follow on Nov. 7.

Speaking after Monday’s recount, Hall said those who fought to keep Framingham a town must support candidates who share their values in the upcoming election. She also encouraged the incoming city administration to review the charter and consider elements that should be changed.

“As the (Charter Commission) said, there were a lot of things they missed,” Hall said. “There are a lot of things that can be refined, and it would be in our best interest to work on that now.”

Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin.