Annual Town Meeting
Don’t miss the most important meeting of the year: the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7 pm at the Bethel High School. Comment and vote on the town budget. The entire budget, town and school, represents a 5.44% increase in spending and a 4.24% estimated increase in our mil rate. If approved, the budget goes to a town wide machine referendum tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd. Access the budget at: https://bethel-ct.gov/depts-comptroller.
Calculate Your Taxes
To find the impact of the proposed budget on your real estate taxes, find your home’s net assessment on your 2023 Real Estate tax bill. Divide the assessment by 1000 and multiply by the projected mill rate of 30.33 This will be the total tax due from the October 1, 2024 grand list paid in quarterly payments ending April 1, 2026.
Taxes Due April 1
The final tax installment from the October 1, 2023 grand list is due Tuesday, April 1st, 2025. The last day to pay to avoid penalties and interest will be May 1st. The last day to avoid and a lien on a real estate account will be May 19th at 3 pm. Avoid fees and pay by check at Town Hall or Newtown Savings Bank locations in Bethel. Learn more or pay online at https://bethel-ct.gov/depts-tax-collector. Call the tax collector’s office at 203-794-8509 with any questions.
Realtor Visit
Local realtors were in Town Hall this week to learn more about the happenings and priorities in town. The meeting was hosted by the Northern Fairfield County Association of REALTORS®. NFCAR is an important advocate for our community! Learn more at www.nfcar.com.
BHS Career Day
Bethel High School hosted their career day this week. The students had really great questions and enjoyed stories from people just like you! If you are interested in opportunities to be involved in student career exposure, please fill out this form.
Town Hall Hours
A reminder that Bethel Town Hall is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm Mondays through Wednesdays, 8 am to 6:30 pm on Thursdays, and 8 am to 12 pm on Fridays. Check out the banner at www.bethel-ct.gov for closings.
Eagle Scout Project at Meckauer
We always appreciate volunteer support to make improvements around town and over the years Bethel has benefited from many Eagle Scout projects. The sand volleyball court at Meckauer Park desperately needs some TLC and a Scout has stepped up to the challenge! Learn more about Elliot Detwiler’s Eagle Project at http://bsa-troop-71.square.site/. Click donate to learn about the project.
New Sustainable Bethel FB Page
If you follow Sustainable Bethel on Facebook, be aware they have a new page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574852961746
WorkspaceCT Summer Early Bird
Annual Gardening Series
The Bethel Garden Club’s 2025 Annual Gardening Series continues on Monday, March 31st with Donna Katsuranis, an Advanced Master Gardener and Interfaith Minister, who will introduce you to "Meditation Gardens" and ideas for making your garden a restorative sanctuary. On April 3rd the series wraps up with “What Gardeners Should Know About Watersheds,” presented by Cynthia Rabinowitz, Soil and Wetland Scientist with the Northwest Conservation District. The free programs run 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Bethel Public Library. Learn more and register at www.bethellibrary.org/events/
“Be A Fool for Art”
Bethel Arts is hosting the “Be A Fool for Art” on Tuesday, April 1st at La Zingara from 6 pm to 10 pm. This event is no joke and will have music, entertainment, a silent auction, a raffle, and great food for $45.00! Funds raised will be used towards an outdoor sculpture exhibit in downtown Bethel that will open on April 26th. Visit http://www.bethelartsct.org/events/ for information and tickets.
Broken Symmetry supports CAWCT
Another opportunity to keep arts in our community: Join yours truly as your guest bartender at Broken Symmetry to support the Cultural Alliance of Western CT on April 9th from 4 pm to 9 pm. 10% of sales and 100% of donations go directly to CAWCT. Check out https://www.brokensymmetrybrew.com/events/cawct-fundraiser for more info.
Shoutouts
- Good luck to the Johnson Elementary and Odyssey Inclusive teams in the Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament at the Bethel Middle School tomorrow, March 29th! Odyssey is an international creative problem-solving program that engages students at every age engages students through the integration of science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Download the program at https://ctom.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CTOM-2025-Program-Guide.pdf. Thank you WorkspaceCT for your sponsorship of the Odyssey inclusive team!
- Thank you to the crew at POWR2 for the tour this week! Located Francis J. Clarke Industrial Park, they are bringing proven battery energy storage technology to the temporary power industry all across the globe! Learn more at www.powr2.com.
- Congrats to our amazing lineup of All-State Athletes for 24-25: Boys XC: Evan Bureau. Golf: Max Pawloski. Boys Soccer: Tyler Kane, Pietro Marin, Brady Fitzgerald. Girls Soccer: Laina Caffrey. Field Hockey: Ilana Flynn. Indoor Track: Yee-Jun Ng, Luke Richardson. Gymnastics: Riley Kane. Ice Hockey: TJ Miller. Skiing: Alexandra Roberts. Girls Basketball: Aiden Gill. Boys Basketball: Deondrae Farmer.
- Good luck to the Bethel Winter Guard on your WGI Worlds competition in Dayton, OH next week!