Other voting next week

As Bethel voters decide Tuesday what the town should do about police coverage, they and other SAD 44 voters, as well as voters statewide, will also take up a number of other matters.

In Bethel, voters will choose among three candidates (incumbents Stan Howe and Don Bennett and new candidate Darren Tripp) for two seats on the Board of Selectmen, and three (incumbents Lynn Arizzi and Elaine Cross and new candidate Katherine Botka) for two seats on the SAD 44 Board of Directors. Two seats are open on the Board of Assessors, and incumbents Stan Howe and David Luxton are running unopposed.

In SAD 44, voters will be asked to approve a $9.2 million budget for the coming year.

They and other Oxford County voters will be asked whether the county commissioners should be empowered to select the county treasurer (currently an elected position).

Statewide, registered Democrats, Republicans and Greens will select their parties' candidates for November's General Election.

The following day, back in Bethel, voters will reconvene at 7 p.m. in Crescent Park School to take up the remaining 35 articles on this year's Town Meeting warrant.

They will be asked to raise and appropriate a municipal budget (excluding police coverage) of $2.98 million, down $6,473 from the previous year's budget. Shifts in individual budget lines are generally small.

They will also be asked to approve revisions to the town's ordinances covering signs, site plan review, subdivisions, entertainment, traffic, parking, and pedestrians.

No substantive changes are included in the revision, according to Selectman Don Bennett, who represented his board on the Ordinance Review Committee. Most are wording changes intended to make the various ordinances internally consistent, as well as consistent with other ordinances affecting related matters.