Voters in Bethel's five districts had their say in today's referendum, and approved both the town and education budgets, setting Bethel's 2013-14 budget at $67 million.
Total Combined Votes
Yes: 2,918
No: 2,124
Education
Yes: 1,434
No: 1,085
Too High?
Yes: 1,334
No: 713
Town
Yes: 1,484
No: 1,039
Too High?
Yes: 1,439
No: 575
"There wasn't a lot of controversy at the town meeting or public meetings," said acting First Selectman Richard Straiton. (First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker is out of town.)
The Board of Finance did raise some questions on the budget earlier this year, removing funds for non-governmental organizations like Meals on Wheels before later restoring them.
"This basically represents what the people really want," said selectman Paul Szatkowski. "This is the direction of this town ... We're going in a positive direction, and these numbers are reflecting that."
He praised several measures in the budget, including the addition of an ROTC officer at Bethel High School. He said the ROTC program is probably the best in the northeast.
"It brings pride in not only the school but the town," he said. "It's been nothing but an asset."
A majority in all five Bethel districts voted in favor of the town budget, and a majority in four of five voted in favor of the education budget. (Voters in District 4 edged out a "no," 268-262.)
When presented with the question of whether the budget was "too high" or "too low," a majority of voters in all five districts chose "too high."
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