BY DARRELL HALEN

Town spending in Windham is expected to increase roughly 6.7 percent if the selectmen’s proposed 2007 budget and all money warrant articles are approved by voters in March.

Town officials have crafted an operating budget of $11,100,309. If that budget and warrant articles totaling $905,965 are approved, town spending will total $12,006,274. That’s an increase of $886,019 or roughly 8 percent from the previous year.

But officials are taking into account money from various sources – revenue funds, state bridge aid grants, and donations – totaling $144,344.

The total budget would, therefore, be a net of $11,861,930  – up $741,675 or a 6.67 percent increase –  from the 2006 budget of $11,120,255.

Some of the increases in the proposed operating budget include a 25 percent increase in health insurance premiums, a 3.5 percent cost of living adjustment for workers, step increases for some employees, changing the police prosecutor, recreation coordinator, and a highway department laborer to full-time status, and increased costs for road maintenance.

The following money warrant articles will be on the ballot: $89,250 to build a garage for the police station; $65,000 to repair a fire truck, Engine 3; $54,080 to purchase a new trailer for the transfer station; $75,000 for a used tractor for the transfer station; $85,000 for the town’s overall 20 percent share of costs associated with the proposed bicycle paths on Lowell Road; $104,860 for economic benefits for the police union; putting $57,975 into a capital reserve fund for fire department apparatus; $15,000 for an engineering study for a salt shed/highway garage; putting $120,000 into a capital reserve fund for a salt shed and land; $50,000 to make renovations to the Bartley House, a town administrative building; $13,000 for the town’s overall 20 percent share of costs associated with renovations to the Depot Historic Area; $30,000 for the property maintenance trust; $30,000 for earned time trust; $104,800 for engineering to replace Castle Hill Road Bridge; and $12,000 for marketing and maintenance of Searles School and Chapel.