WINDHAM – The future operation of the Windham Skate Park is up in the air following budget cuts proposed by the Town Council’s finance committee.

On Tuesday night, the three-member finance committee, which has met nine times in the past few weeks and is made up of councilors Matt Noel, Peter Anania and Kevin Call, released its amendments to Windham Town Manager Tony Plante’s 2013-2014 municipal budget.

According to Brian Ross, Windham’s Parks and Recreation director, the finance committee’s proposal to cut $17,000 of skate park staffing means the skate park could be closed, or skaters there could be left unsupervised.

“Depending on what happens, it could remain open or not remain open,” Ross said. “If we had too many incidents or uncontrollable issues, it could end up being closed, but that’s to be determined depending how it goes.”

The $17,000 represents the entirety of staffing at the skate park located next to the Windham Public Safety Building. The revised budget now goes to the full Town Council, which will begin discussions on the spending at a meeting on May 28, with public comment welcomed.

Windham Finance Director Brian Wolcott rose during Tuesday night’s public comment to say, “On the skate park, just to put the proposed $17,000 cut in perspective, that’s 1 cent on the mil rate.”

Windham resident Larry Eliason, whose 18-year-old son uses the skate park, predicts a crowded room at the next meeting. He told councilors that past attempts to alter the skate park’s operation have brought out large crowds.

“The skate park has quite a history of being developed by the town and private money to help alleviate issues that were going on in North Windham for many years, and I think it offers a quality area for students in the Windham area to go to,” Eliason said. “And I just have strong concerns about cutting staffing at the skate park.”

The skate park is one adjustment the committee made in the $14.1 million budget. Additional proposals include adding $100,000 for Falmouth Road repair, reducing the fuel budget by $36,000 due to lower-than-projected gas and diesel prices and adding $200,000 for improvements to the Donnabeth Lippman Park in North Windham.

The finance committee is also alert to Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to suspend municipal revenue sharing for the next two years. Windham received $975,000 this year from the state. If the state Legislature doesn’t block the governor’s proposal, the finance committee plans to use fund balance, or surplus, to cover the difference.

Wolcott said the town fund balance is at 20.72 percent of the annual budget, an amount that takes into account the school budget as well. Plante has said Windham’s surplus is more than $5 million. The council’s target for surplus is 16.67 percent, “so we exceed the target that the policy calls for right now,” Wolcott said, adding that any excess can be used to purchase capital equipment or reduce taxes.

In related business, the council voted 7-0 to send a resolution to the Legislature imploring the body to vote against LePage’s proposal. Drafted by Plante, the resolution calls the proposal a tax shift that would impact local property taxpayers.

Referring to the resolution later in the meeting, Call said, “Let’s hope the resolution works,” after councilors discussed ways the town would find money to replace the $1 million it now receives annually from the state.

Windham skate park