A budget referendum date has been set in Bethel. As proposed, the budget would increase the mill rate in Bethel by about .98 percent. The final mill rate will be established by the Board of Finance following a successful budget referendum. The proposed municipal budget is about $34.2 million, which includes the Town Operating Budget, Debt Service and the School’s Building Maintenance account. The proposed Board of Ed budget is about $51.1 million.
During the annual Town Meeting, a motion was made to cut $500,000 in school spending, but it was rejected and the budget was adopted without change. More than 150 registered residents attended Monday's meeting and only a handful called for cuts.
Tax watchdog group Bethel Action Committee opposed the proposed budget. BAC Founder Billy Michael says he was disappointedthe motion failed. He says it would have still given them a $1.6 million increase. Michael says there's no such thing as a cut to education, rather reducing the increase. He says there's so much money in school systems across the state because of the pandemic, saying it's time to cut back on the local level.
Michael also raised concerns that revenue estimates, which are required by the town Charter to be presented, weren't initially available.
The Board of Finance approved the budget on a narrow 4 to 3 vote. The Board of Education budget was presented to residents without cuts, for the first time in several years.
The budget referendum is April 19th from 6am to 8pm.
