Windham voters will see three town questions on the Nov. 3 ballot. Most of the attention has gone to the third one, which would let the town buy Windham Middle School for $1 once RSU 14 moves out and borrow up to $19.5 million to turn it into a community center. Most coverage has repeated one number from the ballot's fiscal note: about $33.30 a year for a $450,000 household. That figure is accurate. It also covers only the first year. If Question 3 passes, the bigger change for most residents is that registering a car, renewing a dog license, borrowing a library book and picking up groceries at the food pantry would all happen at one address. The tax cost of that building builds in steps over five years.
This post goes through the third question in that order, starting with what moves and ending with what it costs. After that it covers the two charter questions on the same ballot, which would change how the town votes on budgets after this election.
What would move to the old middle school
The building opened in 1974 and was designed for 483 students. Enrollment has since grown to 650, and some sixth graders take classes next door at Field Allen School, which dates to 1949. The new Windham Raymond Middle School is expected to open in August 2027, and the old building would become available then. It can't go back to being a school. When RSU 14 voters approved state funding for the new school in November 2023, they agreed the old building would not be used as a school again. One reason given was that it has no fire suppression system.
According to The Windham Eagle's August 14 report, the plan would bring these services into the building:
- Town Hall offices
- Parks and Recreation
- Windham Public Library
- Social Services and the Windham Food Pantry
- The clothing closet and the Medical Loan Closet
The Town Clerk's office would be on the first floor. That office handles car and boat registrations, dog licenses, hunting and fishing licenses, voter registration, property tax payments, notary service and marriage licenses. The plan also changes how drivers enter the site from Route 202, known locally as Gray Road. It adds pickleball courts and redoes the sidewalks and fencing.
The plan does not include a swimming pool, though one could be added in a later phase. If you took the town's survey last March, some of the ideas you saw there aren't in this proposal. That survey priced several versions of the project, including some with pools, and community suggestions like a walking track or theater space were never committed to the final design.
Why the town points to the buildings it already has
The town's case for the project rests on what Windham already owns. A 20-member Middle School Repurpose Advisory Committee found the school's basic structure sound, with about 80,000 square feet available. After reviewing what it would cost to maintain, repair and eventually replace current town buildings, the committee concluded that several services could move to the school "for a fraction of the cost" of renovating or replacing those buildings. Committee members also toured the community centers in Westbrook and Gorham, both of which were converted from old school buildings.
Town Manager Robert Burns has said the library and the Social Services office, which runs the food pantry, both need more space. One building problem has already come up. Last fall the Medical Loan Closet moved temporarily to the East Windham Fire Station after structural issues at its building near the library on Windham Center Road.
Councilor Maggie Terry said that municipal maintenance costs keep rising and that the project's long-term savings are "the lowest costs the town will see." She added, "This is an opportunity for us we'll never see at this value again." The Council voted unanimously to send the question to the ballot, and Councilor Katie Cook's amendment added a formal recommendation to approve it. The ballot itself states, "The Town Council recommends a YES vote."
Residents who answered the town's March survey raised concerns about high taxes, renovation and operating costs, and whether the town had fully explained the plan and its effects. The same survey also recorded support for accessible facilities, recreation space and putting services in one place.
The $33.30 figure, year by year
The official ballot includes a fiscal note. It says the project means a total mill rate increase of 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The town plans to use $2 million from its fund balance to spread that increase over five years, at about 7.4 cents a year. The note calls this "an annual tax increase of roughly $33.30 on a $450,000 household, which will continue for five consecutive years," and adds, "There will be no further tax increase after the fifth year."
So the $33.30 is added again each year, on top of the increases before it. Applied to the $450,000 example, the five years look like this:
| Year | Added to the mill rate that year | Total project increase so far | Yearly tax added on a $450,000 home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | about 7.4 cents | about 7.4 cents | about $33.30 |
| 2 | about 7.4 cents | about 14.8 cents | about $66.60 |
| 3 | about 7.4 cents | about 22.2 cents | about $99.90 |
| 4 | about 7.4 cents | about 29.6 cents | about $133.20 |
| 5 | about 7.4 cents | 37 cents | about $166.50 |
The year-five figure is simple math from the town's own numbers. Thirty-seven cents per $1,000 on a $450,000 assessment comes to $166.50 a year. "No further tax increase after the fifth year" means the increase stops growing at that point. The $166.50 stays on the bill for as long as the debt is being paid.
For a sense of scale, the Town Council's August 2026 tax-commitment materials for the 2026-27 tax year show a tentative mill rate of $12.93 per $1,000, within a range of $12.92 to $12.95. The fiscal note only covers this project's share. Your actual rate in any year will also reflect the town budget, the school budget and county costs. If your assessment isn't $450,000, multiply your assessed value in thousands by the cents shown for each year.
What the ballot leaves to the Council
The warrant's estimates assume a maximum term of 20 years and a maximum interest rate of 3.5%. On those assumptions, $19.5 million in principal adds $7,171,392 in interest, for $26,671,392 in total debt service. Annual payments would range from $992,016 to $1,640,391. The warrant notes that actual debt service may differ from these estimates. The question itself leaves dates, maturities, interest rates and other borrowing details for the Town Council to decide. The fund balance money can go toward construction, operating costs or debt payments.
The coverage we reviewed leaves two questions unanswered. None of it says whether the current Town Hall on Gray Road and the current library building would be sold, reused or kept. None of it gives an opening date for the community center either. The town's FY27 budget presentation lists the school reuse among its current capital projects in process, with preliminary engineering underway. Both are reasonable things to ask a councilor before you vote.
The two charter questions, and how they change future votes
The same ballot asks two charter questions that would change how Windham approves spending after this election.
Question 1 would end the Saturday Annual Town Meeting vote on the budget, starting January 1, 2027. The budget would go to a secret-ballot referendum instead. If voters reject parts of the budget, a special open Town Meeting would take those up. The referendum would be held on Maine Primary Day, the second Tuesday in June, which is also when Windham votes on the RSU 14 school budget. Turnout at the Annual Town Meeting has fallen to about 150 residents out of more than 12,000 registered voters over the past two years.
Question 2 raises the amount of spending outside the annual budget that requires voter approval, from $25,000 to $500,000. In the version printed on the ballot, issuing bonds still requires a Town Meeting vote. Council Vice Chair Bill Reiner said the current $25,000 limit "no longer provides for emergency operations or acquisitions in a meaningful way," and that the change "falls in line with surrounding towns." Opponents, as the Eagle reported, say voters are being asked to decide without full information or a full understanding of the complex legal language.
Before Nov. 3
- Polling place: Windham High School Main Gym, 406 Gray Road, open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Absentee voting: You can request a ballot online or through the Town Clerk. No-excuse absentee voting, including in person, runs through Oct. 29. Completed ballots must reach the town by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Maine Secretary of State.
- Tonight's Q&A: A business gathering at Erik's Church runs from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 30. The proposed community center is one of the topics, and Town Council and WEDC members will take questions. It is a general business event, not a meeting just about the referendum.
- Your own number: Look up your assessed value and multiply it in thousands by 37 cents to see the year-five cost for your home.
If you'd like help working out what a 37-cent increase means for your own property tax bill, or how town costs like this one fit into the ownership math on a Windham home, I'm happy to go through the numbers with you. Reach out through Michael Mahoney. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
