Windham, Standish to hold annual town meetings Saturday

Windham and Standish will hold their annual town meetings Saturday with coronavirus precautions in place.

Windham’s town meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Windham High School auditorium, which has an 800-person capacity, said Town Manager Barry Tibbetts. The auditorium provides ample space for social distancing, though Tibbetts said there’s typically only about 40 to 50 attendees every year.

Windham residents will be vote on the $34 million town budget, which is less than a 1% percent increase from the current fiscal year’s budget. The Windham-Raymond school district budget will not be included for a validation vote because a public hearing on it has not yet been held. Tibbetts said, however, that the town knows that their local contribution to the RSU 14 budget will be $23.2 million, a 4.8% increase from the current year.

The tax rate will increase by 3.5%, or 51 cents, the current rate of $14.64 for a total of $15.15 per $1,000 of property valuation. In previous budget proposals, Tibbetts wrote that the town expected the county tax rate to increase by 17 cents due to the county’s shift from a calendar year to a fiscal year. Tibbetts said Wednesday that the county decided to postpone that shift and the county tax rate would only increase by 4 cents. The while the municipal tax rate will same the same as this year, and the school tax rate is expected to increase by 47 cents. Under the new budget, the owner of a $250,000 home in Windham can expect to pay $127.50 more than this year, for a total of $3,787.50.

The Standish town meeting will be held at 9 a.m. at the Fire Department vehicle bays at the Municipal Center on Northeast Road. Seating inside the firehouse will be 6 feet apart and masks will be required for those who can wear them, according to Town Manager Bill Giroux. In keeping with the state’s guidelines of a 50-person limit on gatherings, if the number of attendees exceeds that limit the meeting will be adjourned and rescheduled or held by a referendum vote instead.

Residents will vote on a $15.8 million town budget, which is a 4.1% increase over the current fiscal year’s budget of $15.1 million. The proposed budget does not show a change to Standish’s local contribution to SAD 6, but includes a decrease in the school district tax rate of 13 cents. The county tax rate will increase by 4 cents and the municipal tax rate will increase by 49 cents. The total tax rate is set to increase by 40 cents, for a total of $14.70 per $1,000 of property valuation. Owners of a $250,000 home in Standish can expect to pay $100 more in property taxes next year, for a total of $3,675.