BETHEL — At the 2023 Bethel town meeting, article 36 passed with some discussion but little opposition. Voters approved $123,818.32 for special service requests.
In April, at combined select board/ budget committee meetings at town office, several citizens sat in the audience eager to hear the final word on what the committee would recommend voters give to special services or non-profits who request money at town meeting.
Town Manager Sharon Jackson first raised the matter at a select board meeting in the winter. At the meeting she reiterated what she said earlier, “$126,000. I’ve never seen a number like that [in the towns I have managed]. That’s a big number, a very big number,” said Jackson who added that often a town’s selectboard will establish a cap on the amount of money they appropriate to social services.
The request had been for $126, 818.32. A motion to eliminate $3,000 for fireworks brought the number slightly lower. Some of the money Bethel approved in 2023 was “pass through money,” meaning the state will later reimburse the Town. The municipal allocation for the snowmobile grant for $30,000 and the Western Hills Access TV request of $17,500 are monies that are reimbursed. With these pass-throughs deducted the total contribution amount is: $76, 300.
Contributions
Besides the organizations receiving pass-through approvals, several other non-profits vied for money and received it in 2023. They were: Bethel Area District Exchange/Food Pantry: $25,256; Bethel Library, $20,500; and Museums of Bethel Historical Society $15,000.
Smaller amounts were awarded to: Summerfest and Fireworks $5,000; winter decorations $4,000; Independence Day Fireworks $2,000; Memorial Day: $1,400; Snowmobile trails: $1,212; Hailey’s Hugs Go Gold: $1,000; Age Friendly Community Initiative $1,000; Art Fair/BAAM $850; Independence Day Band $600; Western Maine Cancer Resource Center: $500.
This year, the combined budget and select board committees have recommended smaller amounts, but ultimately it will be up to taxpayers to decide at Town Meeting on June 12.
Libraries elsewhere
Below is a comparison of what other area libraries are given by their respective towns. Note that some of these libraries are town-owned. Bethel Library is a 501c3 non-profit.
| Town | Latest year report available | Amount Expended on Library | Population (2020) | Library Spending per Capita | Source |
| Norway | 2024 | $355,595.00 | 4,962 | $71.66 | https://norwaymaine.com/uploads/fy24-warrant.pdf |
| Dixfield | 2015 | $127,024.00 | 2,253 | $56.38 | https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7858&context=towndocs |
| Lovell (two libraries) | 2022 | $56,500.00 | 1,104 | $51.18 | https://www.lovellmaine.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif6916/f/news/meg_town_report_2022-final.pdf |
| Rumford | 2019 | $254,029.00 | 5,858 | $43.36 | https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9657&context=towndocs |
| Paris | 2022 | $215,500.00 | 5,179 | $41.61 | https://parismaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/town-report-21-22.docx.pdf |
| Fryeburg | 2019 | $101,617.00 | 3,369 | $30.16 | https://www.fryeburgmaine.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4446/f/uploads/town_report_-_final_revisions_05292020_0.pdf |
| Buckfield | 2023 | $52,075.00 | 1,983 | $26.26 | https://www.buckfield.maine.gov/_files/ugd/cd83b2_ca5564a83533485d85601ba568d93846.pdf |
| West Paris | 2022 | $45,965.00 | 1,766 | $26.03 | https://www.westparisme.com/vertical/sites/%7BAF3BDE0D-3799-49AD-8859-097EEE636A33%7D/uploads/West_Paris_Town_Report_2022.pdf |
| Hiram | 2022 | $17,500.00 | 1,609 | $10.88 | https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/7f564db5-346e-4648-974c-59e836dea411/downloads/Town%20Report%202022.pdf?ver=1704805474262 |
| Waterford | 2017 | $16,000.00 | 1,570 | $10.19 | https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7897&context=towndocs |
| Oxford | 2022 | $42,500.00 | 4,229 | $10.05 | https://www.oxfordmaine.org/elections/town-meeting-2022/pages/2022-town-report-fiscal-year-2021 |
| Bethel | 2023 | $20,500.00 | 2,504 | $8.19 | |
| Woodstock | 2022 | $11,000.00 | 1,352 | $8.14 | https://www.woodstockmaine.org/s/Annual-Town-Report-2022.docx |
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