Brookfield Democrats Applaud Recommended Town Budget

The following was written by the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee

BROOKFIELD, CT– An unusual degree of consensus formed around the Brookfield budget that the Board of Finance approved to recommend to voters Wednesday night by a 4 to 2 margin. The budget they passed made few changes to the proposal that came to them by unanimous vote of the Board of Selectmen, and fully funded the school board’s request.

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Eileen Straiton, newly elected chair of the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee said, “Brookfield voters made it clear in November that they want the needs of the schools and the town to be heard and addressed. The Brookfield DTC is proud of our newly elected team for helping to bridge the gap, ensuring that the town budget was approved. While there were some capital projects that lost important funding, this is a wonderful start that takes into consideration the needs of our entire community. Our team is doing what they promised they would do.”

Democrats were elected as two of the six Board of Finance members, the First Selectman and one Selectman in November. They also secured the Town Treasurer position.

Democratic Board of Finance member, Mark Zerbe, called the budget “reasonable and balanced.” He especially praised the support for the schools, the contribution to maintain the general fund balance, and that it does not “overburden taxpayers.”

Sean Hathorn, the other Democratic Board of Finance member, noted that the budget process was extremely transparent and cooperative. “Now it’s up to the community to let us know if we’ve met their expectations when they elected us,” he said.

A public hearing will be held on April 5 for residents to express their opinions on the proposed budget. The Board of Finance will then meet to consider public comment and decide whether to alter the budget before sending it to referendum. Your voice at the Public Hearing can make sure there are no further changes.

The Brookfield Democratic Town Committee meets the second Thursday of every month at Whisconier Middle School. All interested Democrats are invited to attend. For more information, visit the BDTC website at brookfielddemocrats.org or contact us directly by email at info@brookfielddemocrats.org. You can find the Brookfield Democratic Town Committee on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/brookfielddemocrats.