WINDSOR — A town budget up by $83,700, a 4.76% increase, mostly due to a rise in money the town plans to put aside to prepare for future needs, goes to voters at the annual Town Meeting on Wednesday.

While town spending is proposed to rise if everything passes at Town Meeting, increased revenues are expected to more than offset the spending, meaning the municipal budget will not require a tax increase. When combined with a $147,000, or 4.4%, increase in Windsor’s share of the Regional School Unit 12 school budget, the total budget is expected to result in a small property tax increase.

“We’re up $83,000 in expenses, but revenues are up $160,000, so we’ve got some to offset some of the school side. And that covers all the town’s increase, so we don’t believe it’s going to be a huge rate increase; it should be very minimal,” said Theresa Haskell, the town manager.

Haskell anticipates the town will receive about $140,000 in state revenue sharing, a $40,000 increase.

And selectmen propose to take $400,000, a $118,000 increase over the current year’s budget, out of the unassigned fund balance, funds made up of money unspent in previous years, to help offset next year’s budget. Haskell said the town has enough funds in that account to take out the $400,000 and still meet auditors’ recommendations that the town keep at least three months worth of the budget in the fund, for use in case of emergencies.

Haskell and William Appel Jr., chairman of the selectmen, said much of the $83,700 increase in municipal spending is for money to go into reserve accounts, to put money aside for future town purchases the town will need to make.

They include a new reserve account for cemeteries, so the town can begin to set aside money for future land acquisition for when existing cemeteries fill up. Officials propose to start the new account with a $5,000 contribution this year. Other reserve accounts proposed to increase this year include a $20,000 increase to pay for future work on a property revaluation and tax maps, which Appel said may be necessary to adjust to the recent trend of increasing real estate prices; $10,000 more for fire safety; a $2,500 increase for a fire station reserve; and $21,500 increase for roads.

“Taxes in Windsor won’t be up much, taxpayers will be in good shape, but we’re planning for the future, still,” Appel said. “We’ve been putting money aside for expenses we know are coming, so our reserve funds have some money going into them.”

The annual meeting will be in person, at the Windsor Elementary School gymnasium Wednesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will be preceded on Tuesday by municipal elections, with polls open, also at the school gym, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ray Bates and Appel are the only two candidates for two spots on the Board of Selectmen, Dustin Mellor is the only candidate for the Regional School Unit 12 Budget Committee, and there are no candidates for three spots and one alternate position on the Budget Committee, leaving the spots to be filled by write-in.

Appel said town officials would love for more residents to take part in town activities, including by serving on committees and boards.

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