BETHEL — The Town of Bethel’s budget will increase by 10.9% if all 52 articles are approved at the Annual Town Meeting on June 11.

The proposed $12.28 million fiscal year budget includes the approved MSAD 44 and Oxford County budgets. Annual reports were made available at the Select Board meeting on June 4, are currently available at the Bethel Town Office, and are posted are on the Town’s website.

Key Articles

• Article 4 proposes reducing the number of Budget Committee members from 12 to 9.

• Article 7 asks voters to appropriate up to $300,000 to cover tipping fees for curbside and dumpster waste.

• Article 8 requests a $100,000 transfer from undesignated funds to purchase a truck scale for the Tri-Town Transfer Station. Last year, Bethel paid $185,723 for waste at the station. A scale would have generated $297,158 for the same amount of tonnage. Newry has already voted to contribute $50,000 toward the scale, and Hanover voters will decide on contributing $7,500 at their June 18 meeting.

• Articles 9 and 10 pertain to repairs at the Bethel Town Office/Cole Building and would be funded from undesignated funds if approved. Article 9 seeks $125,000 for moisture control in the building’s basement, and Article 10 requests $120,000 to replace the roof and clapboards on the rear of the structure.

• Article 15 seeks an increase of approximately $100,000 over the FY2025 amount for Oxford County police protection. The total requested for FY2026 is $673,865.

The mil rate will be determined in September following the tax commitment by the Town’s assessor and Assessor Board.

Other Business

Bethel Town employees were last year’s Spirit of America Award recipients. The 2025 award recipients will be announced at the Town Meeting.

Carl Casey will moderate Town Elections on June 10 and will pass the role of moderator to Vern Maxfield for the Town Meeting on June 11.

The Select Board asked developer Michael Magner, who is building a 12-home subdivision at the end of Annis Road, for a performance guarantee. Board Chair Michele Cole asked Magner to describe the property. He responded, “It’s a gentle slope… we’ve done these types of projects before. I don’t see any challenge… the utilities will be underground.”

Pine Tree Paving won the bid to pave town roads with a contract totaling $281,000. Public Works Director Scott Sumner and Jackson included a Nov. 1 deadline in the contract.

Bethel Planning Board Assistant Emma Davis explained that a water bill abatement was needed for a resident due to a billing estimate error that doubled the invoice. The Board discussed the challenges of estimating water bills and the confusion caused by changing quarter-end dates. Jackson and Board Chair Michele Cole plan to meet with the water district to address both issues.

Tracy Walker was unanimously appointed as Registrar of Voters for the June 10 election. Newly appointed Town Clerk Joyce Whittemore will assume the role for future elections.

Town Manager Jackson asked the Board whether one of the Town Clerk’s responsibilities should be contacting applicants of victualer license forms. Bethel has more than 40 victualer licenses. The Board voted to grant conditional approval to The Pie Hole, West Bethel Motel, and The Riverview, pending completion of their applications, including clarification of seating capacity.

Following last year’s Town Meeting, the newly elected Select Board immediately chose a new chair and vice chair. This year, the board will wait until its June 18 meeting to make those appointments. At its July 16 meeting, it will finalize meeting dates for 2025. For now, the August 20 meeting has been rescheduled to August 19 so members can attend the Oxford County budget meeting. There will be no meeting on July 2.

Bethel Annual Town Meeting will be held at Crescent Park School, 19 Crescent Street on June 11 6 p.m.