WINDHAM — President Barack Obama is coming to town Saturday to talk about the economy and bringing the deficit down, but officials are still discussing who pays the bills locally.

Selectmen Chairman Bruce Breton said Wednesday that the town would bill the Obama campaign to offset security costs incurred during the presidential visit. But Thursday, Selectman Kathleen DiFruscia said she will ask that the billing issue be discussed at the next board meeting.

“As a member of the Board of Selectmen I take strong exception to Chairman Breton unilaterally deciding that the town of Windham is going to bill the Obama campaign to offset costs incurred by the town,” DiFruscia said. “In my opinion this is clearly an abuse of his position as chair of the Board of Selectmen. This is a decision to be made by the five members of the board.”

The issue was brought up by a letter emailed to town officials from the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity demanding that taxpayer resources not be used for the event at Windham High School.

Breton said billing for contracted services at events is not uncommon.

“If a majority of board members want us to convene a meeting to discuss their concerns, I'm happy to do that,” Breton said.

At the center of the debate is about $4,600 to pay for extra EMT and police coverage.

Town Administrator David Sullivan said the town has not typically billed for these type of events, “but the board has the ability to if it so chooses.”

Travis Blais, chairman of the Windham Republican Town Committee said even though the current president is a Democrat, the issue should not be a partisan question.

“The town should not have to bear these costs, particularly for a campaign activity,” Blais said.

Some see the visit as more than a campaign activity.

“I think it's a great honor to host the President of the United States here in Windham,” said Kristi St. Laurent, chair of the Windham Democratic Town Committee and Planning Board member.

St. Laurent said she expects the visit to benefit local businesses and showcase the new high school, hopefully attracting future events, she said. She hopes the town does not set a precedent for billing candidates or discourage other candidates from holding events in Windham.

Obama will also be visiting Rochester on Saturday; that city does not plan to bill the campaign for the cost of providing security.

Durham asked the Obama campaign to repay almost $13,000 the town spent for a presidential visit in June.

Most recently, Milford made news for billing the Romney campaign $1,001 for extra details to manage crowds at a June 15 event.

Milford Town Administrator Guy Scaife said the key is knowing what resources will be needed in advance. The Romney campaign was told of the charges up front and agreed to pay, he said.

“It was pretty much business as usual on our part,” Scaife said.

An Obama campaign official said all campaign costs are handled by the campaign, but the U.S. Secret Service takes the lead on all security matters regarding the President. Any local law enforcement organization contacted by the Secret Service to assist in security should discuss matters related to costs and how to effectively manage those costs with the Secret Service, the official said.

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Julie Hanson may be reached at Jhanson@newstote.com.