Bethel First Selectman Knickerbocker Has Message to Residents About Proposed Bethel Police Station

Knickerbocker: “All of us on the Boards of Selectmen and Finance are well aware the holiday period is not the most convenient time to hold a referendum. Our choices are limited, however.”

Report by Paula Antolini
November 29, 2015 10:49AM EDT

 

Bethel First Selectman Knickerbocker Has Message to Residents About Proposed Bethel Police Station

Message from First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker:

Dear Friends:

The proposed Bethel police station is going to come up soon for reconsideration. The town website still shows the original proposal; that presentation will be updated by early next week to reflect the new cost and adjustments. The figure approved by the Boards of Selectman and Finance earlier this week is $13.492 million. 
Please SAVE THE DATES for the following meetings:

* Tuesday, December 1st – Public Hearing

* Tuesday, December 8th – Special Town Meeting

Both of the above referenced meetings will be held at the municipal center.
* Expected referendum date (to be set by the town meeting) – Thursday, December 17th.

A few words of explanation:

All of us on the Boards of Selectmen and Finance are well aware the holiday period is not the most convenient time to hold a referendum. Our choices are limited, however.

Our original plan was to hold the referendum in mid-September.  This year’s Republican primary election made that impossible, as voting machines must be set aside in advance for testing and then sequestered for a certain period of time after the vote.  This made the machines unavailable for a September referendum.  Holding the referendum in October then became unavailable for the same reason, as testing of the machines was under way and preparations were put in motion for the November general election.

Next we explored including the police station proposal on the November 3rd municipal election ballot, but discovered that was impossible due to conflicts between state law and the town charter. In evaluating the post-holiday period, we felt it was critical to avoid the most severe winter months due to the high probability of weather disruptions.

Following the winter months, the annual budget voting cycle begins, again complicating the referendum process. If multiple budget referendums are needed, the police station vote could be held off even further. The longer we wait to vote, the more the project will be subject to price increases.  There is simply no “ideal” time available.

We will publish information in this publication and on the town website.

I encourage everyone to attend the upcoming meetings and ask your questions.  I think we can all agree that we wish there was a better time to hold a referendum.  Knowing all of us will be busy with preparation for the holidays, I respectfully ask that everyone give this issue some of your time. Let’s move this forward and provide a facility that supports our town police force.

Thank you.

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