Proposed $85M Bethel Budget Goes To Referendum Apr. 19

BETHEL, CT — The annual referendum on the Bethel budget has been scheduled for Apr. 19.

The proposed $85 million spending plan allocates $51.1 million for schools and the remaining $34.2 million for the town.

The combined budget proposal runs about 4.45 percent above the current spending plan.

The town's portion includes about $450,000 for school building maintenance, $5.5 million for debt maintenance and $28.3 million for municipal operations. Overall, the town budget is about a 2 percent increase over the current spend.

The Board of Finance found nothing to cut from the schools' take for the first time in several budget cycles. The proposed $51.1 million schools budget represents a 4.3 percent increase over the current spending plan. As is typical, the lion's share of the spend is for employee salaries and benefits, roughly $33.9 million and $10 million, respectively.

The polls for the budget referendum will be open April 19 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.