Windermere opposes property tax referendum

Windermere Town Council is making its voice be heard.

The council unanimously passed a resolution affirming the importance of public education on property taxes and the taxes’ connection to local services.

The resolution also formally opposes House Joint Resolution 1F, aka Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes, for which residents will vote in November.

Council members Brandi Haines and Tom Stroup were absent. 

The resolution states “state-level property tax mandates shift risk, not costs, and when local flexibility is removed, residents will ultimately bear the consequences through reduced services, deferred maintenance and pressure for backfill funding.”

It also states if property taxes are reduced or eliminated, the town will need to find other sources to fund local services, including increased sales taxes, user fees, special assessments and state appropriations. The funding also will be used to ensure employees are paid, infrastructure is maintained and public safety responsibilities are met. 

“The town of Windermere remains concerned about the potential impacts of the proposed constitutional amendment on local fiscal stability, municipal bond obligations, infrastructure investments and the ability of communities to plan for future growth, resiliency and service delivery needs,” the resolution states. 

Town Manager Robert Smith said the town of Windermere will be joining other West Orange municipalities to host a joint town hall at the end of September to provide facts regarding the property tax reform as close as possible to when absentee ballots go out Tuesday, Oct. 13. 

He said he also will be meeting with all the HOAs, civic boards and civic organizations as well as holding at least three to five public information workshops to educate people on the reform. 

“I can’t direct them to vote yes or no but to provide them the facts of what we’re looking at,” he said.

Variance approved

Windermere Town Council approved 2-1 a variance for 136 Oakdale St. 

Council member CT Allen dissented.

The variance request essentially had three parts to it: build a detached garage/accessory building in the front yard; build the structure 13 feet from the property line; and build the structure at a maximum height of 22 feet, 10 inches.

According to the town’s Land Development Code, detached garage/accessory buildings must have a minimum 25-foot front yard setback on non-contiguous corner lots; the structures must be a maximum of 18 feet in height; and all accessory buildings must be located within a side or rear yard. 

The town’s Development Review Board unanimously approved the variance request with conditions. One condition was the structure could not be more than 18 feet, which is in accordance with Land Development Code, essentially dismissing one part of the variance request. The other condition was that the existing carport located in the property’s front yard on East Second Avenue must be removed prior to the issuance of a building permit. 

Allen said she is not in favor of reducing setbacks. 

“I am very nervous about our town losing its rural aesthetics, and we keep approving these, whether or not it’s small or massive,” she said. “We’ve got some people coming in here asking for a lot of setbacks. Setbacks were put into place. I’ve lived here for 40 years to keep the rural setting, the balance between home and land and green space.”

Town manager evaluation

Smith’s 2025 evaluation resulted in the five Town Council members giving him an overall positive review, with an average score of 7.74 out of 10 across all scored categories. 

Council members recognized Smith’s “strong performance” in key areas, including implementation of council direction, advancement of major infrastructure and capital projects, fiscal management, intergovernmental coordination and day-to-day operational sustainability.

The evaluation also identified areas for continued improvement, including the need for stronger resident communication, greater transparency, more proactive reporting, continued staff development, improved public outreach and careful planning for complex or sensitive issues before they are brought to council.

Smith will receive at least a 3% salary increase.