April 2023

Welcome, Spring! We can now look forward to the beauty springtime brings. April is National Volunteer Month, dedicated to recognizing volunteers and honoring the significant contributions they make by generously donating their time and talents to worthy causes. To all our Brookfield residents who kindly and selflessly give of themselves, I extend my sincere thanks. To our Volunteer Firefighters, Food Pantry staff, coaches, club members, Town Boards and Commissions members, and ALL volunteers in Brookfield, thank you! Our volunteers are the glue that keeps our town together - we should all remember that their service is vital to making our community great.

The Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance both completed budget deliberations in March. Our increased debt burden, record high inflation, increased utilities costs, contractual increases and supply chain shortages, as well as other factors on both the Town and Board of Education sides, have made crafting this year’s budget quite challenging. The Board of Finance is proposing a 3.98% increase with a 26.91 mill rate, which roughly equals an annual tax increase of $310 based on the median assessment of $301,000 from the 2021 revaluation. Please visit the budget here:

2023-24 Board of Finance Combined Budget.xlsx (brookfieldct.gov)

A Special Town meeting was held on March 30 on the proposed FY 2023-2024 Capital Projects, as well as the Board of Finance Public Hearing on the town budget. Please mark your calendars for our Annual Town Meeting on May 2 to tentatively set the Town Budget Referendum for May 16.

I stressed to you last month that the next several years will be challenging. This is due in large part to paying for the debt on the new Candlewood Lake Elementary School, in addition to paying on old debt (for the renovations to Brookfield High School from nearly 20 years ago and other debt). We will likely remain in this “debt bubble” through the next several years while we continue shaping our long term financial plan. In March, the Board of Finance provided an overview of our debt outlook. I encourage you to watch this video in order to better understand what we are facing: 2023-03-07 Board of Finance Meeting - YouTube

Five updates: 1. Housatonic Railroad confirmed that they will be coming to clean up “Graffiti Bridge” within the next few months. 2. Regarding Federal Road construction, you'll see a gradual increase in activity as the contractor adds crew members. Drivers can expect short lane shifts utilizing our PD and/or flaggers for traffic control. 3. Center School will be vacated this summer and turned over to the town as a municipal building. Although no decisions have been made at this juncture, it has been recommended by our town experts that CES be demolished. The carrying costs for the school to remain idle indefinitely, together with a cost of an additional study, would be better served toward demolition in the opinion of our town professionals. 4. Our Police, Firefighters and Emergency Responders - together with our consultant - have been planning for the purchase of our Emergency Radio System Upgrade. The contract will come before the Board of Selectmen in the coming weeks to begin procuring and implementing new digital equipment to replace our 1986 analog system. I have also applied for DOJ Community Oriented Policing Services “COPS” grants through both Senator Murphy’s and Congresswoman Hayes’ offices. 5. Thank you to residents who came to vote at our Special Town Meetings on March 16th for two projects for the Town of Brookfield: The Department of Economic and Community Development "DECD" Brownfields and Streetscape Phase Four. Both of these projects were approved for acceptance of funds (both grants from the State with no match to the Town) and will be moving into the next phases of their planning in the coming months. More to follow on each of these items.

Yours in Service,

Tara Carr

First Selectman

Brookfield Lions 4th Annual Pancake Breakfast

Sunday, April 2, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Brookfield High School Cafeteria

For more information, visit the Lion’s Facebook page.

Board of Selectmen Meeting

Monday, April 3, at 7:00 p.m., Meeting Room 133. The meeting agenda will be posted on the town website the Friday afternoon before the meeting and live-streamed and recorded for viewing.

Board of Selectmen Coffee with Community

Saturday, April 29, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. at Dunkin’ located at 756 Federal Road. We encourage you to stop by with any questions or concerns for the Board of Selectmen.

Annual Town Meeting

Tuesday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m.

Brookfield High School Auditorium

To discuss the FY 2023-2024 Town and School Operating Budget and Capital Projects.

There will be a budget presentation, and in the Call of the Annual Town Meeting, a vote will be taken for a Referendum date of May 16. Copies of the proposed budget are available at the Town Clerk’s office and the town website.

Join the Brookfield Memorial Day Parade

Sunday, May 28, at 2:00 p.m.

Organized by the Brookfield Lions Club

Please contact the Brookfield Lions Club Parade Committee via their website if you plan on marching.

Town Offices will be closed on:

Friday, April 7 for Good Friday

Economic Development

Brookfield has teamed up with EntryPoint to conduct a Broadband Study (paid for by WESTCOG) to determine the feasibility of a town-wide fiber optic network to each home and business in town. Check out the website and take the survey: https://dcox51.wixsite.com/website-22.

Tax Assessor

Note to all Commercial/Industrial Buildings/Condo/Landowners: You will be receiving an Income and Expense Form for the 2022 grand list in the mail in the early part of April. If you don’t receive your form in the mail by April 15, please print one from our website (scroll to the bottom of the page). Income and expense forms are due in our office no later than June 1, or there will be a 10% penalty. Please note, if you own an apartment building, you must include a rent roll (list of all tenants, their apartment numbers, and the date they began their lease, for the 2022 year). Also, if you own vacant land and if you are not renting your land, please write 'vacant' - sign and return the form. If your building is owner-occupied, please fill in the expenses, write “owner occupied' on the income line, and sign and return the form. All others must fill out the complete form.

If you are 65 or older as of December 31, 2022, and you own your own home, you may be eligible for a senior state or local tax relief benefit. If you are a veteran who served during wartime, you may be eligible for a state or town tax benefit. If you are already receiving benefits, you should have received the paperwork. If you have not, please call our office. If you have never applied before, you can find the paperwork on the town website. Please remember that when applying, we will need a copy of your tax return and proof of all your income, including Social Security. Please bring all your paperwork into our office and we'll be happy to make any copies you need. If you have any questions, please call our office at 203-775-7302.

Public Works

The Residential Brush Yard will open on Saturday, April 15.  It will be open every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the exception of certain holiday weekends. You will need a permit to use the yard. A permit can be obtained at the Department of Public Works in the town hall or at the site when in use. Check the town website for more detail. 

Tax Collector

Intent to Lien Notices

Real Estate Intent to Lien Notices will be mailed in April for taxes that are still outstanding for the 2021 Grand List.  

July 2023 Billing

If your Real Estate taxes are escrowed, the bank will request your Real Estate bill. If you changed banks or paid off your mortgage, please contact the Tax Office to inform us of your current mailing address.

If you have sold or disposed of a car, please give the required documentation to the Assessor’s office. If you have transferred your registration to a new car, you do not need to contact the Assessor.

Roberta Q. Sinatra, Tax Collector

203-775-7304 rsinatra@brookfieldct.gov

Town Clerk

In the event of a Municipal Primary, June 12^th is the last day that an enrolled elector can transfer from one party to another and be eligible to vote in the Municipal Primary of the new party (CGS Sec. 9-59). You can change your party online, by mail or in the office of the Registrar of Voters. 

Conservation Commission

The Brookfield Conservation Commission has some fun and exciting events coming up and we hope you can join us! We will hold programs this Spring aimed at invasive species education and removal, Earth Day, and No Mow May. We're are also currently looking for someone to fill a vacancy for an alternate position on the commission. If you're interested, please contact us.

Save our Native Plants-register with the Library

April 18, June 22, September 21.

Invasive Plant Removal at Williams Park- seeking volunteers for these events

April 15, May 6, June 24, July 22, September 23, and October 14.

Rain dates: are the very next day

Earth Day 2023 - April 22 at Erickson Farm

No Mow May - May 2023 in your yard!

City Nature Challenge - April 28 - May 1 in your yard or at any of our open spaces.

Program details and information will be posted on the Town's website and the Friends of Brookfield Conservation Commission Facebook Group. We hope you will join us!

April 2023 at the Brookfield Library

We're welcoming Spring with a full slate of programs, book discussions and activities for patrons of all ages at the Brookfield Library in April. Check out our Events Calendar for details here. Highlights include a new and unique exhibit in our Art Gallery - Alien Invasion - which will include an artist talk and demonstration, a program on Autistic Empowerment, an Open Mic event, a mountain lion program, and the first of a three-part series on local invasive plants. Stop by while we celebrate National Library Week (April 23–29) for refreshments and special events, including a showing of the classic movie, Desk Set. In April, teens can compete for prizes in a Saturday Smash Tournament on the Library’s Nintendo Switch. For kids, there will be a STEAM and Science Explorers program, along with several all-ages programs which include chess, board game night, and a program about the bat population in Connecticut. Stop by with the whole family! Springtime story hours commence on April 17, and the Career Bus for adults returns, too. Please keep in mind the Library will be closed on Friday, April 7, for Good Friday, and Sunday, April 9, in observance of Easter. We look forward to seeing you in April!

View details and the Program Guide on the town website.

APRIL SCHEDULE: Egg Hunt – Grades 4 and below – Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m.

Click here for the Brookfield Public Schools update on the Superintendent’s three main points from the Board of Education regular meeting on March 15, including the School’s Strategic Plan information, the Assistant Superintendent’s Monthly Newsletter and the Director of Special Services' Monthly Newsletter.

Water Pollution Control Authority

If you were 65 or older as of 12/31/22, and eligible for the Town’s elderly or totally disabled tax relief (requirements can be found here), you may be eligible to defer your sewer benefit assessment. If you're currently deferring your assessment, you'll need to re-apply each year. If you've never applied before, you can find the policy and application online at Deferral Regulation & Application. Applications need to be submitted by May 15 and can be mailed or dropped off to our office at 53A Commerce Road, Unit 1, Brookfield, CT 06804. Please call us at 203-775-7319 if you have any questions.