Brookfield village officials passed a resolution committing the village to use funding that could arise from the upcoming referendum for the stated purpose of maintaining village roads.
Trustees approved the resolution on Monday, Oct. 26, obligating new funding derived from the limiting rate increase “for the purpose of resurfacing, reconstructing and maintaining streets and associated infrastructure improvements” if the referendum is passed by voters on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Officials said the referendum was included on the agenda for the Oct. 26 village board meeting in response to questions from residents about the use of the funds generated if the referendum passes.
“Sometimes the question comes up: ‘How do we know what the money is going to go towards?’” Village President Michael Garvey said. “This is governed by many state laws in terms of the language on the ballots, how it has to be worded and what it says, but a lot of residents indicated they wanted some reassurance that the money would actually be spent for the [stated] purpose, and it wouldn’t be diverted to other purposes.”
While the resolution only applies to the current village board, which will change come April when three trustees are elected, a memo in the meeting agenda includes guidance for future boards to pass similar resolutions to affirm their continued commitment to using the new funds appropriately.
If it is successful, the referendum will allow Brookfield to ask taxpayers for $2 million collectively through their property tax bills, but the effect on residents will be tax-neutral, as the increase will go into effect at the same time that tax bills are set to decrease due to the expiration of the bond Brookfield took out in 2016 to pay for road improvements.
Due to the cumulative nature of tax increases, the $2 million revenues established by the referendum will continue to be collected each year. Village Manager Tim Wiberg told the Landmark last week that the funds will combine with $3 million Brookfield sources elsewhere to make up the $5 million it needs each year to keep up with a 25-year road maintenance program.
If the referendum fails, the village will have to come back with a future referendum to issue bonds to find enough funding to maintain the 25-year road program, or else Brookfield will have to move to a 50-year road program, which would leave many roads to succumb to wear and tear for another quarter century before they see maintenance, Wiberg said.
“We can have a reliable funding source for probably forever without raising your taxes. We can do that right now,” Wiberg said.
Wiberg told the Landmark it would be illegal for Brookfield officials to use the money outside of the stated purpose, and they would likely be caught within a year due to the annual audit process that the village’s finances undergo, but residents have still questioned their ability to trust the local government.
“This resolution indicates that this board intends to and would be bound to spend that money realized from [the referendum] on the streets and related purposes, and [we] wouldn’t spend it in other areas,” Garvey said. “Thank to residents for sharing your views and your concerns about this. We’ve tried to make our intent as clear as possible.”
