After three rejected budget proposals and months of agonizing debate over whether the town’s cash reserve should be utilized to maintain the tax rate, the 2014-15 town budget finally passed Thursday in its fourth go-around.
The final tally favored the “Yes” voters 1,893-1,343, with all of Bethel’s five voting districts favoring the budget.
The $27 million budget –which was approved in a town meeting on July 7- allocates $22.4 million for town operations, $510,000 for school maintenance and $3.8 million for debt service. Approximately $515,000 has been removed from the budget since the first referendum, $100,000 of which was withdrawn from construction and road services.
Opponents of the fourth proposed budget, have been critical over the Board of Finance’s unwillingness to dip into the $11 million cash reserve to preserve Bethel’s property tax rate at $31.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
The first three referenda were rejected by narrow margins of 7 votes, then 315 votes and most recently 36 votes. Each referendum has cost the town $13,000 in direct costs, and an estimated $15,000 in interest normally earned has failed to be collected during the nearly three-month span because town hall has been unable to send out tax bills.