WINDSOR — Windsor residents overwhelmingly approved three proposals to loosen restrictions on the sale of alcoholic drinks and elected a new selectman Tuesday, and approved a slate of budget-related articles Wednesday at Town Meeting.

Tuesday voters elected Andrew Ballantyne as a selectmen; he received 175 votes to David Coons’ 57 votes.

By large margins, residents voted, also in Tuesday’s secret-ballot voting, in favor of two related proposals to allow restaurants and other licensed entities, which could include vendors at the Windsor Fair if they comply with state regulations, to serve alcoholic drinks.

Town rules did not allow restaurants or other businesses in Windsor to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on their premises.

Two proposals approved by voters Tuesday will allow restaurants or other licensed establishments to sell liquor to be consumed by customers on-site. One of the proposals would allow it to be sold every day of the week other than Sundays and was approved by a vote of 178-59; the other also would allow liquor sales on Sundays, and passed by a vote of 171-66.

A third alcohol-related proposal approved by voters, in a 171-74 vote, will allow the sale of beer and wine, for consumption off premises, by local stores on Sundays to continue.

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Town Manager Theresa Haskell said stores in Windsor have been given licenses from the state to sell malt liquor, beer and wine, including on Sundays, for years now, despite the apparent local vote in the 1970s banning the practice.

She said if the proposal had been rejected at the polls, stores in town would have had to stop selling beer and wine on Sundays.

The $1.76 million town budget approved by voters via numerous separate warrant articles Wednesday, is down $27,000, or 1.5%, from the current year’s budget.

Haskell said the town and school budgets are expected to result in a flat, or possibly even slightly decreased, property tax rate.

The possible tax decrease comes despite a projected $139,000, or 4.66%, increase in Windsor’s share of the $23 million Regional School Unit 12 proposed school budget.

Haskell said the decrease in the town budget, combined with increased revenue, including an increase in state revenue sharing as well as revenue from further development — and thus added taxable property value — at a Central Maine Power Co. substation in town, offset the increase in the school budget.

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She said the first draft of the town budget was up by about $120,000 but was cut first by her, then selectmen, down to a $27,000 decrease. She said it was one of the most challenging budgets she’s been involved in developing in her 14 years on the job.

“I feel this has been one of the most trying budgets; but then again, I think we’re going to end up very well with what we have,” she said.

The roughly 35 people who attended Wednesday’s Town Meeting approved every funding article, at the levels recommended by town officials, with little debate in about an hour and a half.

Tuesday voting resulted in at least two ties among write-in candidates for positions for which there were no candidates on the ballot.

Town Clerk Kelly McGlothlin said the town might have to hold a special town meeting to decide the winners of one of the seats, if all the candidates who were written in say they want the positions.

For three open positions on the Budget Committee, Joe Bradberry and Corey Roberge each received six votes, winning two of the positions; while Kevin Ready and Jason Ready each received four votes and are thus tied for the third open position.

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In voting Tuesday residents also approved of the Regional School Unit 12 budget by a 162-74 vote.

Voters in seven towns approved RSU 12’s $23 million budget by a wide margin on Tuesday.

 

 

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