The annual Battle of the Bethel Budget is different this year. After last years near zero change, we have reached a tipping point. In the schools, we’ve lost about 20 staffing positions the past two years, inclusive of a number of real layoffs combined with attrition or reduction of hours. The reduction in “full-time-equivalent” staff means less resources for the students. Our leadership team, both in the administration and Board of Education has enhanced student achievement, doing more with less. Cutting the modest 2% increase plus an amount to compensate for a shortfall in State reimbursements will now yield potential cuts in programs and more staff “FTE” eliminations. We will get less with less, and that’s a decision, which should be passed to the referendum. I’ll support this modest increase in order to retain the investment I’ve made in Bethel’s school system the past 18 years, even with my only kid finishing her senior year and unaffected by next years’ budget.
The town side offers a different story, and one that is constrained by the need to add a significant “minimum” contribution to the pension fund balance, based on the balance as of the end of the last fiscal year per actuarial recommendations of of bond rating agencies. This added funding will still not bring the balance to the recommended 80%. However, if the performance over the past 10 months holds to June 30th of this year, we may see less of a burden in pension funding next year.
Additionally, costs related to salary, benefits and a debt service of 7% against the total (17% against just the town side) leaves little room to save the taxpayers from a 3.8% mill rate increase.
At the Town meeting I opposed a $500,000 cut proposed by the BAC chairman. While I have my doubts the town side can pass as is, the impacts of a half million cut would be significant. That’s for the voters to decide, not for the couple hundred attending the Town Meeting.
For the $10 or $20 a year homeowner difference this cut would mean, and the much larger impact it would have, I will be supporting passage of both Town and School budgets.
Bill Hillman
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