BETHEL – Voters at a town meeting Dec. 3 will decide on three spending items totaling nearly $32,000. The session is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the municipal building.

Warrant articles include restoring $3,000 to the Finance Department, taking $27,398 from surplus to cover roof work at the fire station, and $1,600 to buy a new 500-gallon gasoline tank for the town garage.

Town Manager Scott Cole said Wednesday that three months worth of part-time wages – amounting to $3,000 – was removed from the current budget in June prior to town meeting and needs to be restored for a half-time clerical position.

Regarding the Fire Department, Cole blamed a contractor for not finishing roof and exterior work on the town’s $1.3 million fire station two years ago. It led to poor drainage on the station’s west side. He did not name the contractor.

“Basically, the contractor screwed up and didn’t put a roof on. He got a divorce, then (his business) dissolved and he went to Florida. Whatever. That’s life. We’ll lick our wounds,” said Cole, who believes voters will approve the article.

Action on two other items on a draft warrant discussed at Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting was postponed.

One involved spending about $28,000 to buy one acre behind the Bethel Rescue ambulance station and Finish Line Pizza. Potential uses include additional parking for Bethel Rescue or space for a future police station or substation.

Selectmen, however, were concerned about possible fuel contaminants, because oil, kerosene and gas had been stored on the property in the past, Cole said.

The other tabled issue involves spending several thousand dollars to buy a backhoe for Public Works, and assigning the town’s older backhoe to the transfer station to better compact debris and scrap metal.

Cole said both the land buy and backhoe purchase will, most likely, be included on the June town meeting warrant.