BETHEL TAXPAYERS: Federal state and local political forces are conspiring to raise property taxes as they do every year regardless of the current economic hardships being experienced by homeowners and businesses. Dr. Chesley, our “retired” $755 per diem school superintendent unveiled a budget proposal reflecting a nearly 5% spending increase. Some $476,000 of that spending increase is the result of the temporary Job’s Grant Program; a component of billions in federal stimulus spending that Michelle Obama called a "jobs-guarantee program for teachers."! Governor Malloy has raised every imagineable tax and fee in our state catering to every constitiuency except local property owners. It’s no wonder Connecticut is rated the worst state for retirees nationally. Bethel’s Bd. Of Selectmen want to demolish the Old Town Hall.to provide 16 parking places for the town library whose total budget is $1.8million annually.Wouldn’t the library benefit by the sale of the building and the annual revenue generated thereafter. A library budget that size needs tax revenue that grand list growth provides. It’s the spending of three levels of government that property owners fund in their quarterly tax bill. But there’s good news! The Bethel Action Committee is still fighting for taxpayers. We’ve spearheaded a petition drive for a special town meeting to act on the ‘All or None Public Alert Ordinance.” The proposal would prohibit all town agencies from using taxpayer funded communication systems to provide “voting reminders “ to one cherry picked voting bloc. Simply stated :if all taxpayers are paying for the notifications then all taxpayers are entitled to be notified. If voting “reminders” are financed by taxes no taxpayers should be excluded from being notified. To sign or circulate a petition contact Billy at 203 743-2456 or click here to send an email.
Click here to read an article published in the NewsTimes about the All or None Public Alert Ordinance.
Connecticut tops the list of the worst states to retire in because of high property taxes and other factors. Conversely, the State has the largest net outward migration of 18-34 year olds, illustrating that neither old nor young can afford to live in the Nutmeg State. Click here to read more.
In a recent NewsTimes Letter to the Editor, Republican Party Chairman Paul Improta, supported the demolition of the old Town Hall building. In this letter, Mr. Improta disputed the calculations containted in a letter Mr. Gallagher had written regarding the sale of the property, while at the same time claiming that the proposed parking spaces for the library have some measurable economic value. Mr. Gallagher’s well thought out figures were derived from information obtained from the Tax Assessor’s office, as well as a from Mr. Gallagher's in-depth knowledge of Town properties. What process did Mr. Improta employ to support his position that the value of the parking spaces outweighs the revenue that would be generated the sale and taxation of this building? Based on the dearth of those details, it appears that his position is unsubstantiated.

S.E.E.C. Finds Bethel Superintendent Gary C. Chesley in Violation of Connecticut General Statute §9-369b The SEEC recently rendered a decision on the complaint filed against Dr. Gary C. Chesley by former Bethel Board of Education member, Cynthia J.McCorkindale. The Commission found that Dr. Chesley did in fact use town funds to send politically-worded materials out to a select group of taxpayers via the Bethel School Newsletter. To view or download a PDF of the Complaint and the Commission's decision, click here.
About the SEEC: Following the Watergate scandal in 1974, the DConnecticut General Assembly created a five-member bi-partisan and independent State Elections Commission (Public Act 74-213) to ensure the integrity of the state's electoral process. The Commission was given the authority to investigate possible violations of the election laws, refer evidence of violations to the Chief State's Attorney or to the Attorney General, issue advisory opinions and make recommendations to the General Assembly concerning revisions to the state's election laws.

TAXPAYER ALERTS - STATE Click HERE to see the Governor Malloy's proposed solutions to the General Fund Budget Deficit Click HERE to see publication from Yankee Institute for Public Policy on Malloy's proposed tax increases

TAXPAYER ALERTS - LOCAL Click HERE to read breakdown of the cost of litigation costs incurred by the Town of Bethel Click HERE to read News-Times article about Meals on Wheels budget controversy including comments by BAC Chairman Billy Michael Click HERE to see publication from Yankee Institute for Public Policy on Malloy's proposed tax increases Click HERE to see the recent BAC letter sent out to our supporters. The response so far has been overwhelming!


Based on the 17% decline in revenue to the state from Bethel’s 8000+ income tax filers between 2007 and 2009 (as shown in above table), BAC opposes any property tax increase this year. This decrease is proof that Bethel incomes have declined, and therefore taxpayers cannot afford to fund any increase in Government spending.

BAC'S IMPACT ON BETHEL TAXES

In 2005 we defeated Selectmen Alice Hutchinson's budget three times.
In 2006 we defeated Selectmen Robert Burke’s budget twice
In 2008 we defeated Selectmen Burke's budget twice
In 2009 the Town Selectmen limited the schools to a 0% spending increase.

Imagine how high local taxes would be today if the Bethel Action Committee had not continued to rally voting majorities over the past 6 years?

Click here to see a survey of Bethel School spending, provided to BAC from the Bethel Board of Education.

Not only has the Board of Finance proposed an increase in property taxes, Governor Malloy is proposing increases to the income tax and and the imposition of sales tax to 20 previously-exempt products and services, the most dramatic being the elimination of the State's $500 property tax credit currently in place for Bethel homeowners.

Last year, Bethel taxpayers approved an annual budget reflecting a 3.8% tax hike. This increase was staunchly opposed by BAC, and ultimately the budget passed by a very slim margin.

This year, the Board of Finance is proposing a budget that reflects a 3.84% tax increase. Bethel residents are already under enormous financial pressure, and some can barely cover their day-to-day expenses and housing costs, let alone foot a higher tax bill - State, Federal or Local.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organization – A statewide taxpayer watchdog organization whose goal is to promote fiscal austerity in all levels of government, thereby constraining the tax burden on local and state taxpayers. www.ctact.org

Yankee Institute for Public Policy – A nonpartisan educational and research organization whose mission is to “promote economic opportunity through lower taxes and new ideas for better government in Connecticut.” www.yankeeinstitute.org

Town of Bethel – The official website of Bethel, offering downloadable forms, information about Bethel's government and schedules of board and commission meetings. www.bethelct.org

Bethel Public Schools – http://www.bethel.k12.ct.us/

Connecticut State Department of Education – This site provides valuable information on school and district data on all 169 municipalities. www.state.ct.us/SDE

State of Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission – The official Web site of the FOI, containing instructions on how to obtain public information, file complaints and a complete citizens guide to this important legislation. www.state.ct.us/foi

The News-Times – The daily newspaper for Western Connecticut featuring local news stories, editorials, Letters to the Editor, and an interactive online forum for feedback. www.newstimes.com

BethelCT.info – Non-partisan, not-for-profit website run by a concerned Bethel resident who investigates, verifies and reports on local matters that impact Bethel families and the taxpayer-at-large. www.bethelct.info

SUPPORT BAC

Your support is greatly appreciated. If you would like to help in a practical way, such as scanning documents or creating Word documents from Billy's scrawl, or if you have any questions for the BAC, please click here to send an email to Billy.

If you would like to make a financial contribution, please mail your check or money order to: BAC, 27 ½ Fleetwood Avenue, Bethel, CT 06801

Together we can limit the size and cost of local government!

“The power to tax is the power to destroy.” ~ John Marshall, 1819

TAXPAYER ALERTS - STATE

TAXPAYER ALERTS - LOCAL

BETHEL, Connecticut

BAC's 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

MESOPOTAMIA ACTION COMMITTEE?