Windham approves $37.03 million municipal budget after hours of debate; amendment to cut budget fails

Windham voters on June 13 approved a $37,033,996 municipal budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and agreed to raise $17,100,992 by property tax after extended public comment and a failed amendment to trim the figure by roughly 2 percent.

Town Manager Bob Burns presented the municipal side of the budget and said the proposed changes would increase the town portion of the average property tax bill by about $82 for a home valued at $433,000. "If approved today ... the municipal portion of the budget ... would raise, approximately $82," Burns told the meeting.

The most contested moment came when a resident amendment sought to lower the total municipal appropriation to $36,293,316.08, a roughly 2% reduction from the printed figure. Supporters of the amendment argued the town should control spending to protect fixed-income residents; opponents cited priorities for public safety, capital needs and existing obligations. The moderator cut off debate on the amendment after a procedural motion; the amendment failed in voice roll-call counting and the meeting returned to the original article.

During the floor debate multiple voters said the proposed tax increase would be unaffordable. One resident, speaking in opposition, said: "I don't think this should pass as is" and urged deeper cuts; other speakers defended the council and municipal staff for balancing competing needs. Representative Mark Cooper and other participants also urged engagement with state and local officials to address growth and school costs cited as major drivers of the budget.

After a counted vote organized by the town clerk, the moderator announced the result: 59 in favor, 43 opposed. The moderator then read the procedural note that if Article 7 passed the meeting would skip subsequent line-item votes and move toward later articles.

The manager and council emphasized the budget process included multiple finance-committee and public hearings and encouraged residents to continue discussing priorities with councilors. At adjournment the chair noted turnout of about 102 attendees out of 14,135 registered voters and said the town will propose a November ballot measure to change the budget vote to a referendum-style format with early voting to increase participation.

The budget adoption is final for the meeting; council and staff will implement allocations and follow up on any actions required by bond covenants, grants and other fiscal commitments.