Residents in Bethel will tackle articles to authorize $2.5 million in bonds to improve the town’s water system, fill two openings on the selectboard, and decide if the town will move to Australian ballot voting in the following year.
Bethel has an outdated water system, due to the lack of maintenance and neglect in repairs, officials said. The existing water mains are prone to frequent leaks and breaks, costing the town more money in the long run. Currently, no new users can be added to the system until these issues are fixed, which is what this year’s bond vote works to accomplish, said Therese Kirby, town manager and zoning administrator.
Recently, Bethel completed a $2.8-million water project to address the ongoing issue, but that was only one step in the process, Kirby said, and the proposed project in the budget won’t be the end of it either.
“When you haven’t done anything to your system in many years, all of a sudden you really need to tackle a lot of things at once,” said Kirby.
The $2.5 million ask for the water system improvements would come from the state’s drinking-water revolving loan fund for a 40-year term. About $425,000 of that is eligible for loan forgiveness. But the bond needs to be approved before Bethel has access to that money. A portion of construction and related costs is set to come from property taxes.
The water problems tie into another issue officials and residents want to see addressed. Bethel leaders are working to redo zoning regulations in an attempt to address housing scarcity. Kirby said town officials want to increase the density of housing, “but it’s hard to do that when you can’t add any more water users.”
Kirby said the current water system poses no danger to residents, but a more reliable system with regular maintenance would prevent future risks to the town.
The bond vote is happening by Australian ballot March 7 from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the White River Unified Middle School. Voters are also set to convene there at 10 a.m. that day to consider other articles from the floor.
Voters will also decide, via Australian ballot, whether to allow cannabis retailers to operate in town.
For the selectboard, Paul Vallee’s three-year term is expiring, and he is not running again. Denise Guilmette is running for his seat, and it is unknown if anyone is running against her. Chris Jarvis’s two-year term is also expiring, and he is running again.
The town’s total expenditures have increased this year by 9%, mainly due to inflation, the rising prices of salt and heating, and more, Kirby said. However, due to growth in the grand list, residents can expect their tax rates to remain relatively stable, Kirby said.
Another notable article in this year’s warning is whether voters want to move to electing town officers by Australian ballot next year. That style of voting allows people to know in advance who is running for office, but people may feel reluctant to give up the Town Meeting Day tradition of coming together as a community and debating measures.
Other differences between this year’s warning and last year’s include the library asking for an additional sum of $27,500 and a request to send the recreation improvement fund $30,000 to expand the town’s skatepark.
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