The Standish and Windham Town Meetings were both handled in less than half an hour Saturday morning as residents in both communities approved their respective budgets in quick order.

In Standish, residents approved a $5.7 million municipal budget that makes up for declining revenues, like municipal revenue sharing and excise taxes, by cutting town employees back to a four-day work week, among other cuts.

All told, the budget results in a decrease to the tax rate of 44 cent per thousand dollars of property value, 42 cents of which comes from a decrease in the town’s commitment to the School Administrative District 6 budget. The tax rate is now $10.40 per thousand dollars of property value.

The 9 a.m. meeting was wrapped up before 9:30.

Windham residents approved the town’s $13.8 million budget in similar fashion, with the 10 a.m. meeting ending at around 10:10. The budget represents a 4.3 percent decrease in spending from this year’s budget, but because of falling revenues the town expects the budget to increase the municipal side of the tax rate by 3 percent.

The budget includes a continuation of the hiring freeze instituted late last year in the face of significantly falling revenues, as well as a wage freeze for all employees, both union and non-union.

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