A small but opinionated crowd of residents turned out for an interactive Windham Town Council meeting held at the Manchester Elementary School on Tuesday, Jan. 30.

The first-of-its-kind meeting came about because councilors wanted to give citizens a chance to address issues in an informal atmostphere. It was held on the fifth Tuesday in January. The town council usually does not meet on the fifth Tuesday of a month, which happens four times a year.

Residents and town leaders sat around child-sized lunch tables in the elementary school’s cafeteria and fielded questions, mostly about town policy.

“I thought there were some good discussions and some good ideas,” said Council Chairman John MacKinnon.

The evening was not videotaped to encourage comments from residents.

Former town councilor and council watchdog George Maley said the town wastes money by holding its municipal elections in June and suggested they move them to November to match the state and federal elections.

Town Manager Anthony Plante said the election is in June to align with state budgeting seasons and to give candidates a buffer zone from the heavy campaigns of larger elections.

James Mycock, whose son was shooting hoops in the gym down the hall, was critical of the town for belonging to the Maine Municipal Association, an organization that provides towns with consultation and training workshops.

Mycock said the association hires lobbyists to influence state legislators.

Plante did not know the details of the organizations, but announced at this week’s council meeting that the town pays $12,000 annually to belong to the organization and confirmed that some of that money does go to lobbyists.

Plante said he supports Windham’s Maine Municipal Association membership and that the lobbying is a small portion of the organization.

Only 15 percent of the Maine Municipal Association’s income is from membership dues, according to Plante, and lobbying is paid for in “surplus funds.”

Another question raised was the maximum distance kids are allowed to walk from where the school bus drops them off to their homes, which Plante said is three-tenths of a mile.

“It’s meetings like this that make the fabric of America,” said planning board vice-chairman Keith Williams.

Regular town council meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month and non-voting workshops are held on the first and third Tuesday.

“I thought it was very good. I hope we have more fifth Tuesdays in a month,” said Don Swander, Windham resident and president of the Windham Veterans Association.