WINDHAM – After years of having four meetings a month, the Windham Town Council will halve its meeting schedule starting in early April.

Currently, the council meets every Tuesday night. Two meetings are designated as “workshops,” at which no votes are taken but items are discussed. The alternating two are known as “regular” meetings, at which votes are cast and the public can comment.

The change, councilors say, will allow the public to comment on matters being discussed in both the workshop and traditional meeting format, which will now be combined into one meeting.

Windham, which has met weekly except for fifth Tuesdays, is one of the few area municipal government bodies that meets that often. Last year, Raymond’s Board of Selectmen reduced its schedule to one meeting per month. The Gorham Town Council and Westbrook City Council both meet regularly once a month and then on an as-needed basis. The Standish Town Council meets twice a month.

The format change was proposed by Councilor Peter Anania, who owns several South Windham and Gorham businesses, as a way to economize staff time.

“It just seemed we were meeting way too often and tying up staff time,” Anania said. “I thought this made sense as a way to make things more efficient.”

Another time saving measure agreed to Tuesday was to eliminate the typewritten meeting minutes prepared by Town Clerk Linda Morrell. Instead, the clerk will write summaries of topics discussed, rather than verbatim transcripts. Anania and other councilors said the minutes have become outdated since the town employs three alternate archival methods: audiotape, Internet video on the town’s website and DVD recording.

Under the new format, the council will begin each meeting with a period of “presentations and discussions” similar to the former workshop. Once the presentations are complete, the council can take a break and then commence with the regular portion of the meeting where it will vote on matters it has already discussed. The public will have a chance to offer comment on items discussed during both phases of the meeting, something that has not been allowed previously.

Because of the added public comment period, the change is being billed as a win-win by Council Chairman Scott Hayman who says it will save town employee time preparing for the meetings and result in the public being allowed to comment more often.

Recent workshops, especially one last October where members of the public wanted to speak regarding whether the council should discuss then-Councilor Donna Chapman in the open rather than in an executive session, have become contentious with several residents wanting to offer comment during workshops. Over the years, residents have been critical of chairmen playing favorites by allowing some public comment in workshops and blocking others.

“We’re going to try it for a few meetings and they’ll let us know whether they like it or they don’t,” Hayman said Tuesday night. “They’re going to get what they’ve been screaming for, which is participation in a workshop.”