Voters approve municipal budget during Windham's Annual Town Meeting

By Ed Pierce

Windham residents approved a municipal budget of $40,418,346 for 2023-2024 and other associated warrant articles during the annual town meeting on June 17 at the Windham Town Hall High.

Some members of the Windham Town Council raise cards
indicting their approval of warrant items in the 2023-2024
municipal budget during the annual town meeting at the
Windham Town Hall on Saturday, June 17. From left are
councilors William Reiner, Brett Jones, Nick Kalogerakis,
and Jarrod Maxfield. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE  

Warrant Articles also approved included authorizing up to $462,728 in recreation program fees, applying $3.6 million in excise tax receipts against the budget, spending up to $675,499 in user fees for operations of the South Windham Sewer Fund and applying $11,747,309 of varied revenue against the total municipal budget. Some of that varied revenue comes from state reimbursement for Homestead Exemptions, Veterans Exemptions and Local Road Assistance Funding, along with boat, snowmobile, and ATV registration fees.

Town voters attending the meeting also agreed to apply $500,000 of unappropriated fund from the Town Fund Balance against the Municipal Budget for the coming year.

A total of $30,898,911 for 2023-2024 was authorized by town voters including $7.2 million for general government; $4.6 million for Public Works Services; $3.7 million for Police Services; $3.2 million for Fire-Rescue Services; $1.1 million for recreation and cultural services; $777,635 for property and inspection services; $645,545 for development and conservation services; $386,535 for health and welfare; $7.8 million for capital, debt and other charges; $462,728 for the Recreation Program Fund; and $675,499 for the Sewer Fund.

Voters also authorized the Windham Town Council to transfer any unencumbered appropriation balance between any offices, department, or agencies during the new fiscal year and to accept any state grants or other anticipated funding toward budgetary needs in 2023-2024. The town council also was authorized to appropriate any Tax Increment Financing not allocated in the municipal budget.

Another warrant article was approved by voters for road improvements and sidewalks for the River Road/Route 202 intersection; South Windham sidewalks from Blue Seal Feeds to Depot Street; paving for the Collingwood and Running Brook developments; repairs for the William Knight Bridge; and $700,000 for the purchase of trash carts and receptacles for town residents as Windham converts to a new trash collection system in the coming year.

During the meeting, Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts told those in attendance that the town will combine funds allocated in the 2022-2023 budget for the transition to the new trash system and that he expects the rollout to be sometime in the spring of 2024. Tibbetts said the trash contractor is waiting for new trucks to be ordered and delivered and that is why he does not anticipate the new trash system to launch until next spring.

Tibbetts said that town residents will be issued separate bins for trash and recyclables which can be emptied mechanically by a single truck operator.

"My staff and I thank the town, residents and businesses for being able to serve them," Tibbetts said. "We look forward to this coming year in continuing that service in this upcoming budget."

Compared to last year, Windham Town Council William Reiner said he thought the budget process ran smoothly.

“There was much more discussion about the budget than it seemed in previous years,” he said. “This year we added a staffing template which will be used going forward for new town hires.”

With the approval of the town budget, Windham is expected to contribute to funding a School Resource Officer from the Windham Police Department for students in lower grades and to create the position and hire a new communications officer for the town.

Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison said voter approval of this budget is the culmination of a long process that town departments, town managers and staff and town councilors went through to formulate a budget that kept a close eye on keeping tax increases to a minimum.

“With the challenges of rising inflation, we had to go through the budget process slowly and carefully to be justified,” Morrison said. We did our best to keep the mill rate low and using state and federal monies for items such as acquiring open space.”

Morrison said that tabulating the new budget was done with the finances of town residents in mind.

“This budget will have very little impact for taxpayers,” he said. “We are trying to balance what makes sense and the upcoming fiscal year and position us for the future.”

During the town meeting, Windham resident and former state legislator Gary Plummer was elected as moderator to preside over the gathering. <