The budget passed last night to the joy of some and the dismay of others. First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker said that it was a great night for Bethel. "Everyone did a good job. There was strong support for the school and the town, and we will be able to continue to address the roads and infrastructure."
Of 11,000 voters, 3,000 came out to vote, almost a full third of the town's voters. Knickerbocker said he was very pleased with the strong showing of Bethel residents.
Superintendent Kevin Smith, Ph.D., who received the news of the budget's passing while in a Board of Education meeting, said, "I am deeply grateful to the residents of Bethel for once again generously supporting our schools. The budget will allow us to continue moving the schools forward on our upward trajectory of success."
Outside, Planning and Zoning's John Lennon was not as certain the budget passing was a good thing. "We have to learn to make do with less," he said, shaking his head. "We are living in interesting times."
Here are the numbers of how residents voted by district:
District Town Budget
Yes No Too High Too Low
Total 1,683 1,343 1,762 702
1 165 113 146 65
2 437 345 449 196
3 673 482 653 267
4 268 323 392 119
5 115 60 98 44
Absentee 25 20 24 11
Capital
Yes No
Total 1913 1090
1 184 94
2 508 268
3 758 388
4 322 265
5 116 57
Absentee 25 18
Education
Yes No Too High Too Low
Total 1627 1399 1647 890
1 161 119 130 89
2 434 349 409 243
3 641 509 614 339
4 161 346 390 138
5 122 56 82 67
Absentee 25 20 22 24
Total Combined
Yes No Too high Too Low
3310 2742 3409 1592
