Finally, we the residents of Brookfield have a realistic way to put in place a plan to repair and maintain our aging streets. On March 21, we can vote to approve a 1-percent charge on many purchases made in the Village of Brookfield. So, in other words the purchase of a $10 pizza would put 10 cents towards our street repair fund.
This 1-percent charge would not apply to necessities such as grocery purchases and prescription drugs. The best news is that this plan would put a minimum of $400,000 into our budget, going strictly towards street repair.
We have long sought a way to benefit from the thousands of visitors who visit our zoo and from people who stop to shop in our stores, and this plan is it. A major portion of the $400,000 would be paid by out-of-towners who use our streets, but do not pay local property taxes.
As Springfield becomes a less reliable source for grants and funding, we must be the ones to formulate a plan to raise money for improvements. This simple and painless plan is a much better alternative than a potential property tax increase that would be paid by just Brookfield residents.
Some people will say that this would stop customers from buying in Brookfield. Please remember that most of our neighboring towns already have this plan or are planning to approve this same plan. Should anyone have a better way, I’m sure our village board would love to hear it.
This plan seems to be the best way to bring much needed money to our village.
So, either we can sit back and do nothing and let our streets crumble, or we can vote “yes” and move ahead with a real street repair plan.
Mark Weber
Brookfield
