WINDHAM – After months of tense budget negotiations – first within town hall, then on the finance committee, and finally at the council level – Windham residents took about 20 minutes last Saturday morning to approve the $13.8 million budget for 2010-2011.

Despite past debate on the future of Windham dispatch, the assistant fire chief’s position, the loss of a foreman at public works and the creation of a new human resources position at town hall, those items were not mentioned at Saturday’s meeting.

But if David Tobin, a former town councilor and state representative, had his way, several of those items would have been.

Tobin took to the podium several times attempting to get the budget vote split into sections so residents could vote on separate departments within the budget, including dispatch and the loss of public works positions.

Residents voted 40-38 against a motion to itemize the articles, and eventually voted 46-37 to approve the overall budget.

Tobin said moving dispatch to under the auspices of county government will hand over local control of budgeting to Cumberland County in regard to dispatching services. Moving dispatch to the county will save the town $135,000 the first year and $210,000 the second year, according to Town Manager Tony Plante.

Councilor Carol Waig, who made good on her promise to vote against the overall budget if dispatch was merged with county, agrees with Tobin that the immediate savings are not likely to continue.

“We have a very lucrative agreement with the county, it’ll probably be a two-year contract, and then the county will be setting the budget and they can set it any place they want. We would lose local control of the budget,” Tobin said after the meeting.

Former Councilor David Tobin receives a clarification of rules by Windham town attorney Ken Cole III on Saturday morning during Windham’s annual town meeting. Moderator Jeff Vermette is pictured behind Cole and Councilors Carol Waig, Scott Hayman and John MacKinnon are seated. (Staff photo by John Balentine)