Bethel First Selectman Dan Carter Community Update: Irish flag raisings, officer hours, budget public hearing, and more!

Dear Bethel,

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This morning we had our annual Irish flag raisings at PT Barnum Square and the Municipal Center this morning. In addition to honoring Irish-American heritage, the ceremonies are reminder that we can take pride in our diverse backgrounds and cultures that make Bethel special!

The State Legislature is in session and there are many opportunities to comment on proposed bills. You can sign up to track bills and submit testimony for or against any bill through cga.ct.gov. You can also see proposed bills from our Representatives and Senators below. 

Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan

Representative Martin Foncello

Senator Eric Berthel

Senator Tony Hwang

I had my first meeting with the Commission on Aging this week. This spring we are looking to make a few improvements in our Senior Center at Town Hall. If you didn’t know, our Senior Center hosts multiple programs every week! Check out what’s available on the website. Also, make sure you take a look at the newsletter. If you have a senior in your life without access to the internet, let the Senior Center know and they can get them on a mailing list.

I held “office hours” this week with a lively group of Bethel residents! Residents are asking about Food Truck Friday and the Summer Concert Series, which we are working to get scheduled for this summer. Development downtown and in Stony Hill remains a concern to residents and residents plan to attend the upcoming P & Z Public Hearing on our Bethel’s transit oriented development (TOD). That hearing was scheduled for March 28th, but may change. Traffic in town is a major issue on the minds of those who attended. Specifically, vehicles speeding on Greenwood Ave, large trucks avoiding the railroad bridge on Route 53, and the noise from cars with modified exhausts. I will continue to follow up with the Bethel PD to improve traffic safety and mitigate the damage to our roads, and ears, wherever possible! My next office hours will be on March 29th from 7 am to 8 am at Town Hall.

Don’t forget the public hearing on the 2023-2024 Budget will take place THIS Monday, March 20th at Bethel High School at 7 pm. There will be a live stream, but you must be there in person to comment. On Tuesday at 7 pm in Meeting Room B at Town Hall the Board of Finance (BOF) will consider the public hearing comments and can make revisions to the budget. The BOF will present the budget to the town at the Annual Town Budget Meeting on April 3rd, 2023. The tentative date for a referendum to vote on the budget is April 18th, 2023.

Bethel has many appointed boards and commissions. We currently have a few spots open on the Sustainable Bethel Commission. The mission of Sustainable Bethel is to foster inclusivity and resiliency striving for a vibrant community and providing opportunities for all by implementing sustainable actions that build our local economy, support equity, and respect the finite capacity of the environment. If you are interested in joining the commission, please use one of the following contact emails:

Democrat Party: amymann9175@yahoo.com

Independent Party: McCorked@gmail.com

Republican Party: BethelRTC@gmail.com

Unaffiliated or other parties:firstselectman@bethel-ct.gov

Finally, l want to give a shout-out to the Bethel Varsity Winter Guard. Good luck with your competition this weekend! We are rooting for you and can’t wait to support you in the World Championships next month!

Have a great weekend!