Windham Town Council reviews warrant for Annual Town Meeting

By Ed Pierce

Members of the Windham Town Council reviewed the Town Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting in June during a council meeting on Tuesday evening.

The proposed budget in the Windham Town Warrant for 
2025-2026 is $50,582-929, a 7.26 percent increase from 
last year's $46,991,715 budget. The municipal portion is
about 36 percent of the budget with Cumberland County
and RSU 14 accounting for the rest. COURTESY PHOTO   

The Town Warrant contains municipal budget specifics for the coming year and will be voted upon by town residents at the Annual Town Meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14 at the Windham Town Hall Gym. Articles contained in the Town Warrant are detailed descriptions of town expenditures and each article is voted on separately at the Annual Town Meeting.

Prior to reviewing the Town Warrant, councilors received a briefing from Assistant Town Manager Bob Burns about the proposed budget that included budget figures from Cumberland County and RSU 14 should voters from Windham and Raymond approve the RSU 14 budget during a public meeting at Windham High School on May 14.

Including the county and RSU budgets, the overall Windham budget in the Town Warrant is $50,582,989 which is a 7.26 percent increase from last year’s $46,991,715 budget, Burns said.

Burns said if the proposed budget is approved, the mil rate for Windham would rise to 12.18, up 71 cents from the current mil rate of 11.47, or a 6.39 percent increase.

Cumberland County is proposing a 7.2 percent mil rate increase, while RSU 14’s proposed budget asks for an 8.1 percent increase primarily driven by construction funding for the new Windham Raymond Middle School, he said.

According to Burns, under the new budget, taxes on a home with an assessed value of $400,000 would rise $80 a year, or $6.67 per month.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said that despite the 71-cent increase, the 12.18 mil rate remains one of the lowest in the surrounding area of Maine.

He said the budget proposal was formulated using many different factors and influences, including slightly increased projected revenues, the town’s general operating budget and fixed expenses, insurance costs, contractual obligations, energy costs, debt expenditures and personnel changes. Fixed expenses for the town included in the budget proposal take into account insurance costs, employee healthcare, contractual obligations for municipal organizations, long-term contracts, debt expenditures and wage adjustments.                

Among items included in the proposed municipal budget are funds to add a part-time General Assistance employee in January, a projected Cost of Living increase for municipal employees of 3.5 percent, and funding for three projects including a new North Fire Station on Franklin Drive behind Hannaford Supermarket and across from Home Depot, renovation work to turn the current Windham Middle School into a community center for the town when it is vacated as construction is completed on the new Windham Raymond Middle School in 2027, and $1.5 million for acquiring land from Portland Water District for expansion of the youth athletic fields at Gambo Park and to build a new public ice rink and playground by the new North Windham Fire Station.

Town Council Chair Jarrod Maxfield said that a misconception circulating on social media is that town taxes are paying for the sewer project underway in North Windham.

“The sewer is not in your taxes,” Maxfield said.

Funding for that $40.4 million project is derived from a combination of grant funding, a $38.9 million award by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, a federal grant obtained by U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and North Windham TIF funding supported by North Windham businesses.

Town Councilor David Nadeau said that of the budget that voters will ultimately be asked to approve during the Annual Town Meeting, just 36 percent of it is for the Town of Windham with county and the RSU 14 budgets making up the rest. 

The budget will now have a public hearing during the Windham Town Council meeting on May 13 and a public vote on June 14 at the Annual Town Meeting. 

In addition to reviewing the Town Warrant, councilors also unanimously approved appointments to town boards and committees at the meeting.   

Councilors appointed Yvonne Myer as Chairman of the Voter Registration Appeals Board for a four-year term to expire Aug. 15, 2029, and appointed Gary Lytle to the Board of Assessment Review for a three-year term to end Feb. 15, 2028.

Susan Marean was appointed to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee for a term to expire Aug. 15, 2028, and appointed Geoffrey Sparrow as an alternate to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term to end Feb. 15, 2028. The council also appointed Peter Forbes to the Board of Assessment Review for a three-year term to end Feb. 15, 2028.

Many volunteer board and committees have vacancies and are seeking individuals to serve.

Open positions include four members for the Assessment Review Board; one position for the Human Services Advisory Committee; three positions on the Natural Resources Advisory Committee; one position on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee; one on the Summerfest Committee; and one alternate seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Volunteers willing to serve are asked to apply at the Town Manager’s Office at Windham Town Hall. <