Jan. 22 First of all, allow me to apologize for being so late with my report this month. Aaron reminded me that I was late with it and I better get off my duff and get something written. I thought that I would try to at least fill everyone in on what we discussed and passed at the last board meeting, and to also clue folks in to some current issues that will be affecting us as a town. As everyone knows, we have a lot of roads in our town that require much maintenance, especially in the winter time. Plowing and sanding the roads to keep them safe is something that takes up a large amount of the highway budget, along with overtime and materials. For the most part this year we have dodged the bullet by the late winter that we had, but when we got hit, equipment repairs and materials, along with overtime hit us hard. Our highway superintendent, Rod Jennison, who we think is doing as best a job as can be done with what he has to work with, informed us that he could use another 5000 yards of sand. At approximately $10.00 per yard, this will be a pretty good chunk of money. We discussed this extensively, and gave Rod the go ahead to start purchasing the sand. No doubt we will use it either this year or next, and we did bill the county $42,000.00 for maintaining county rods in the town. This should help with the bill. Look, our highways have been an issue for our town for a long time. Equipment has been getting more and more expensive to keep up, and for years it was a struggle by the superintendents to get the much needed cooperation to keep the equipment and roads in shape. I guess we are paying for that now. The average price of a new snowplow is now in the upper hundred thousand dollar range, and we are looking at some major acquisitions that we may need to do the job. I will keep our community in the loop when decisions have to be made, and will look for the best possible deals that are out there. I read a report from the state recently on how they will be encouraging municipalities to consolidate services. This may be a good option for us. Another issue that may affect us is a recent decision by a state court that will require towns to maintain roadways that run through state lands to private residences.  We have recently run into this on Brown road, and are required to plow back 3.5 miles to two part time residences. By not doing so, we run the risk of an expensive court case. We are working on the financial balance sheets and things are going well with that. I am taking a bit more time to double check everything, and, unfortunately we are still running into a few questions on how things were done with the previous company, nothing big, but I want them clarified. The comptrollers report will be right on time this year, and the accountant informed me that it is almost done already. Great news that we will not have to wait until August for something that was due the end of February, like last year.   Our organizational meeting was held earlier and the minutes for that and the regular meeting will be available soon. The organizational meeting is held every year so that we may make appointments to committees and assign general housekeeping responsibilities. I have some good news from our Comprehensive Planning Committee. There is a good chance that we will be receiving some grant money so that we can bring in a consultant to help us with the plan. Things are really starting to materialize for the committee, and we will be working with the county health department who will be assisting us with part of the process. As I have said before, comprehensive plans are being strongly encouraged by the state and federal governments, and municipalities may be required in the future to have one in place before moneys are allocated. Obviously an important part of planning for Brookfield's future. One more thing. Please read my posting about the revaluation. This is extremely important to our town and I want to make sure that everyone understands its implications, the rational behind it, how we calculate your tax rate, and how it came about. The bottom line is that property values in our town will go up for some, not all, and there is a strong effort by the state to encourage towns to do revals. Like I say in my posting, I just feel that the timing could not be worse with the economy being as bad as it is, and many people in our town and all over struggling to just get by. I will do everything I can to make you aware of your rights, and what you options are. Thanks, John

December 18th Supervisor's Report The end of the year is always a busy time with trying to tie up loose ends, making sure that the budget is all squared away, and that modifications and adjustments are dealt with. We are now dealing with winter at it's finest with cold temperatures, blowing snow, and all sorts of fun that this time of year presents to us. Be careful out there, and always give yourself a bit more time to get somewhere. The town board met Monday the 14th, and passed a number of resolutions. They included adjusting the line that Ed Bennett's was salary was paid out of. The background on this is that the board agreed to compensate Ed for half or what he would have received as health insurance coverage, approximately $4500.00. Well, the additional monies were not paid out of that line that it should have, and we had to do a transfer to make sure the salary line did not fall short. I took some time to update the town board on the new accountant and how things are going, as this was an issue this past year that received much attention. I am glad to report that it is going very well, and we have a very good line of communication. The accountant did tell me that it took a considerable amount of time to get everything squared away, but the records that we gave him made the job doable. Also, I have received a preliminary report from the state comptroller's office on the risk assessment that they did on our town's finances, and other than some recommendations on how to do things a bit differently, they said we did a pretty good job despite the problems we had from RECOR. I will release those recommendations as soon as I get them. Of course they are open to the public and I will answer any questions that I can. We passed some budget modifications to cover for the purchase of a new box for one of the trucks at the highway department. This will cost approximately $18,500.00. We also made appointments to the boards of Estimate and Apportionment and the Planning Board, along with approving the ice & snow removal agreement from the county. This allows us to be compensated from the county for maintaining 29.2 miles of county roads in our town. I am proud to announce that we passed a proclamation for the Silver Star Families of America. The town of Brookfield will participate in the valiant effort to honor those that have sacrificed so much in the service of our country, and have either taken ill or paid the ultimate price for protection of our rights and privileges. One issue that I felt was important to address was conduct and content of resident participation at the board meetings. Unfortunately, over the past two years, there has been an attitude that this time should be spent attacking the board and/or the supervisor. This is not what board meetings are for. They are held to take care of town business, and are not meant to be a forum for politics, letter reading, or addressing issues that should be handled some other time. Resident participation, although strongly encouraged, is not legally required, and my job is to make sure that we can do what we are elected to do, and that is to do the people's business. The circus-like atmosphere of the past will not and should not be tolerated. I ask all that attend to keep this in mind, and I will be glad to give attention to concerns during my office hours, or any other time that I can. Another issue that will have much importance in the up coming months is the town wide re-evaluation. This has the potential to affect our town greatly, and I want to make sure that anyone who has any questions about it gets them answered in the most accurate way. I will be holding town hall meetings about this, with the first one scheduled for January 6th @ 6:00 PM at the town hall. I hope to get over to Leonardsville and North Brookfield also, and will be available to all who have questions. Please keep in mind that, as with any issue, there are good points and not so good points that need to be thought out and I will do my best to keep the politics that seem to be rearing its ugly head out of the mix. We had enough negativity in the election, and we do not have the room for it with this. It is most important to remember that not everyone's taxes are going up, and communication is the best tool we have here. I will do my best to keep our town informed and present the logic and reasoning of re-evaluation. And I will explain the CAP (Consolidated Assessment Program) that was agreed to back in 2006, how, according to the agreement we have to share assessor and equalization rates with three other towns, along with the resolution that the town board passed in January of the same year that commits us to a tri-annual re-evaluation. Also, I will be changing my office hours from Thursday to Tuesday nights. Other commitments have made Thursdays difficult, and it gives me a chance to spend a bit more time with my family and to my job as supervisor. As usual I am available most other times, and if you just give me a call, I will be glad to accommodate any way I can. Respectfully submitted, John Salka, Town Supervisor

November 15th The election is over (finally) and the issues that were discussed and the conversations that I had with many of my fellow townspeople gave me some insight into what is on their minds, what may be bothering them about how things are going in our town. There is a lot of anger out there and I am not quite sure where it originates. Although I get the impression the most are satisfied with how things are going, there seems to be an underlying frustration with government in general. Of course there are those who will play out something like this purely for the politics, I think that most do feel that government is failing them, and they can no longer trust those they elected. I say to that, get involved, keep a close eye on things, and offer constructive suggestions not cynicism and mudslinging. Try attending board meetings to add to the betterment of the town, not play political games. Everyone who followed this past election is well aware of the direction that it went. Instead of debating the issues, meeting the voters, and getting to the true purpose of what these races are supposed to be about certain candidates chose to go the negative route, demeaning their opponent, and offering very little constructive dialogue that may have helped citizens make a rational choice, and tainting an already soured process. Truly we need to look at ourselves and question why the need to go this way was chosen. I firmly believe that it does Brookfield no good to follow this path. I am very happy to announce that the new accountant has hit the ground running, and is becoming comfortable with how things are going. I know that it took longer than we all would have liked it to, but I was not about to rush something as important as the integrity of the town’s finances. I am looking forward to a sound and trustworthy relationship with our new firm. The new pay system for town employees will offer new options like direct deposit that I think will be an advantage. The budget was passed by the board last week, and after much debate, the decision was made to return a line in the highway side to last year’s level. Unfortunately, this along with a late change in the amount due for state retirement did increase the tax rate by 6 cents per thousand. Not an astronomical sum, but an increase none the less, something that I did not care to do, but budgets are a board’s decision, and I respect their choice. What I did include in this budget was a bit of a hedge against next year’s very big increase in our state retirement obligation that, according to estimates that I have received, will just about double. I did set aside almost half of what that will be, and by doing this, I hope we will be a bit more prepared for that increase. This is going to be a major issue for all municipalities, and we are trying to put our heads together to find a solution. Another important issue for our town that we will be addressing is the upcoming re-evaluation. This was discussed at great length not long ago, and the assessor will be finalizing her numbers soon. This was something that we had little choice in doing, as there was an agreement signed back in 2006 for Brookfield to be in a Consolidated Assessment Program (CAP), and we are contractually bound to do a reval with three other towns. If we pulled out, we would not only be violating the terms of this contract, but we would have to return a substantial amount of money to the state. It will be very important for the town to hold the line on spending, as I have tried to do, and to thoroughly analyze the numbers when they come in. This will affect the 2010 school tax bill, and the 2011 town taxes. Of course we cannot control what the school does with this reval, but the town will certainly try our best to minimize its effects. I will be happy to discuss with anyone who has questions. If I do not have answers I will find someone who does. I hope to have a town hall meeting soon about this. The rule of thumb is usually a third of the assessments go up, a third stays the same, and a third actually go down. I am very proud to have been re-elected. It certainly has been a challenging two years, and I am sure the next two will be as formidable. I only ask that we try to work harder together so that we may keep our town the great place that it is to live in, and put aside, at least for now, some of the animosity that we saw generated during the campaign. We are all in this together. Thank you and it is an honor to serve. John J. Salka

October 29th It has finally happened! The town board last night (10/ 28) appointed a new accountant to handle the town’s books. After a year of confusing balance sheets, miscommunication, accusations and those who have had political fielday with it, we are ready to move on, get things back in order, and be able to count on an honest, local firm to be there when we need them. With the upcoming election right around the corner, the town is buzzing with talk about who will be the best to lead the town for at least the next two years. This has been a very interesting campaign, probably like no one has seen in this town for a long time, and that can be taken as both good and bad. It appears that it has polarized our citizens like never before, and there are many that have very strong opinions on who we should elect. This is good because this town went for a very long time with little involvement in local politics, and we all know how important it is to be part of the process. I really feel that we have made great inroads into better communication with all parts of our town, and this is something that we should expect from whoever sits in the seats of our government. There is something that all should try to remember out of this election, and that is that our town is changing whether we like it or not. Land development, gas drilling, a bad economy, and a host of other issues that may have bypassed our town are now looking us straight in the face. We must look at how we can work with these changes and still preserve the quality of life that we have in our town. That may be difficult but not impossible. But this is definitely something that will take a bold approach, something that we may not be able to rely on old ideas and “the way it has always been done”. One thing to carry away from this election will be that this town should never, ever blink. We should always expect the most from our town government. Always demand openness, accountability, and respect. Never accept things at face value and NEVER allow anyone to put their interests before those of the people of this town. When someone is elected to represent us, demand that they try every effort to include as many as possible in decisions that affect our town. Closed government is not only bad practice but an antiquated approach to solving new problems. Brookfield is a great place to live, I can vouch for that. We must always work hard and stay focused on keeping it that way. So I wish everyone good luck, there are those that have worked very hard to get out to the public, make their cases as to why they should be chosen, and may the best person for Brookfield win. Remember GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!!! Thank you and it has been an honor to serve you. John J. Salka

October 19th It certainly is a busy time of year! As we see the weather rapidly changing, there are also a number of changes coming down the pike. With the onset of the potential for inclement weather, the town highway crew is busy moving sand, getting equipment all tuned up, and making sure that our roads will be as well kept as they could be. Good luck guys, and we trust you will do a good job again. Also this time of year means that myself and the town board are working on the budget. There are some real challenges this year to juggling the numbers for the taxpayers. Our sales tax revenue is down, as expected, and I am pretty sure that we will not be getting the extra appropriation from the state for highways. Also, we entered into a new agreement with the county for their compensation to us for plowing county roads in our town, and unless we get some serious winter weather before the first of the year, we may have to renegotiate that contract, as we are now paid for the actual miles that we plow instead of the method that they used before. I will keep everyone up on the status of that. One of the most important parts of the budget is the calculation of the new tax rate. I am determined to make sure that the taxpayers in this town DO NOT pay a penny more in taxes than they did last year. Now this may require dipping into our "rainy day" fund, but if it is not raining now, I do not know when it will be. Our seniors, farmers, and those who have not seen a raise in a while are in need of a bit of a breather. Let me be clear, this is not political it is practical. This is the worst economy that we have seen in 60 years, and there needs to be a very intense effort to look at every line, scrutinize the spending, and make the most out of every penny. Again, this is your budget, and please do not hesitate to contribute ideas. I would like to respond to an allegation that was made in a very strong letter that was recently published in the Waterville Times. The town's money is intact and there is, under no uncertain circumstances $100,000.00 that cannot be accounted for. This was an unfounded claim, and it would probably be a good idea for those who believe this to come to a town board meeting once in a while, or better yet, speak to the state Comptroller's examiner who I spent 11 hours with going over our records as part of thier risk assessment, to find out if that money is unaccounted for. I am sure that if this was true, I might not be sitting here typing this report. Give me a break! Sad that they can't use these energies for making our town better. Politics sure has a way of bringing out the worst in some. Pity. I am meeting with our new accountant to be this week, and the transition is going very smooth. I hope to be making the announcement soon officially, and I am anxious to get things back to normal. There are those out there that are having a field day with this attacking not only me but the board, and we are working diligently to resolve this. Again, if I have said it once, I will say it a million times, the town money has always been safe. Keep in mind that we are having a meet the candidates night at Leonardsville school on the 23rd at 7:30 PM. Hope to see you there. Thanks, John

October 4th The planning board met Thursday night and heard from the developers that are proposing a subdivision over on Fitch Road in North Brookfield. It was very well attended, and the folks that were there had some very interesting questions. This is a matter of deep concern to those who not only have land around the proposed site, but to all in Brookfield that are concerned about possible development of our town. It truly is a double-edged sword with advantages and disadvantages for our town. As I have always said, if this type of thing cannot be stopped, and our options are limited, we need to make sure that our town remains the great place it is to live, and we need to work together to come up with answers. Short of sitting in front of the bulldozers (and that has been done in other places with no results) we have to make sure that these companies that want to develop our land do it in a responsible manner. I do not condone it; I only want to make sure that the town’s best interests are the priority. Levi's benefit was very well attended, and I am assuming it was a success. The food was great, the beer nice and cold, and the people showed what our community is all about-helping those when they need it. I have been knocking on a lot of doors lately, and most are of the opinion that we are going in the right direction. I firmly believe that bringing people into the process has helped us realize we need to pull together as a town, and if we do, nothing is impossible. I have set on many a porch, had conversations in dairy barns and garages, been in more than a few living rooms, and hung out in front yards to discuss where we are going as a town. Sure times are tough but we will get through it. My tentative budget will be going to the board soon, and I look forward to an open process with all our townspeople having the opportunity to be involved. Budget hearings will be well advertised and I hope to get a copy on the website. The budget was difficult this year as we are looking at shortfalls in revenue, and the highway side will be a challenge to work with but I feel that it is a sound budget, and hope that the board feels the same way. Remember, no matter what happens in November, I feel that we have embarked on a path for our town that no one will be able to turn back. Accountability, citizen involvement, and open government will be the standard for our town in the future. That is something we all need to make sure happens.

September 28th There is some interesting news regarding possible economic development for small towns. I have gotten a notice that there are incentives through grants from the state to do rehab on the downtown area of municipalities both medium size and small like ours. The grant application is formidable, but I have begun working with our county grant writer to start the process, hopefully getting it in by the first of the year. There are a ton of grants out there, and I hope that after the first of the year we can really work to seek them out. I will be touring the horse trails soon with Senator Valesky, Dr. Cross, president of Morrisville College, and Mark Tierney, president of Cazenovia College. There is a sizable amount of grant money being appropriated for the Equine Alley in our county, and I hope to get the trail system in the designation. I am not quite how much may be available but there is at least $160,000.00 in the grant. Neither college president has seen the trail system, nor did they know much about it, so I guess the time is ripe. A group has approached me about exploring the possibility of opening up more area in our town for ATVs. (should be interesting to see what they do with this one), and I think that it is definitely something that we should at least explore. It is being done in some towns across the state and has met with great success, and produces much needed revenue for those towns. Stay tuned for more info. Contrary to what is being said, I DO NOT endorse the development being planned for the Snow property in North Brookfield. I know that there has been concern by folks over that way, with some farmers being told that I am in favor of it. This is an issue for the planning board and not the supervisor, and the comment that I made at the last town board meeting was simply that this type of proposal may be inevitable for our town. If the developer crosses their tees and dots there I's I am not sure what can be done. We will just have to wait and see. Amazing what can be twisted. My advice is like anything else- get involved! This is YOUR town! Here is some really good news. I spoke with the accounting firm (the old one) and it appears that the balance sheets are just about all straightened out and they have been willing to cooperate in the transition to the new firm. Finally. One more last thing. I will be releasing my four point proposal for the town that will include economic development, a capital reserve plan, and a highway plan to say the least. Keep an eye out for that. You know how to get a hold of me if you need to. Thanks, and it is an honor to serve our town. John J. Salka Brookfield Town Supervisor

September 19th First of all, I will briefly cover what went on at the board meeting on Monday , the 14th. Unfortunately, the balance sheets that were submited are still not in order, and we discussed what we will need to do in order to get this mess in order. Try as they may, the accountant was unable to straighten things out by time of the meeting and we did not have much to go on. I did present, however, the real figures of how much the town actually has in our savings and checking accounts, and we will have no problem whatsoever paying our bills. THE MONEY IN INTACT! The same old dance about the town being in a mess is getting old quick, and it obvious that we will hear this same old tripe until after November 3rd. At this meeting we passed a resolution to put the Gorton Lake property on the November ballot, and the proposition will describe what we will be proposing for the land transfer. There has been much work done on this issue, and I want to commend everyone who has worked very hard to get to this point, and wish the Rod & Gun Club luck with it. The second resoution that the board passed was one that urges a number high level politicians to come to the aid of our dairy farmers with a number of proposals. We definitely have a crisis here, and we could lose up to fifty percent of our farms here in the Northeast. This would truly be a tragedy, and it will take a concerted effort by all to keep this from happening.The resolution was voted yes by all the board members, and we will be sending on to our federal representatives including the President. Lets keep our fingers crossed that something can be done. I have been in discussion with the county board of elections, and this year we will be using the new optical scanners at all the voting places. They are fairly easy to use, but just in case there is any possibility of confusion, I am asking the elections people to come to Brookfield to conduct an orientation to the new machines. I will be announcing when they will be here, and they will be available for demonstrations and questions. It is very important to vote this year as in any other year, and anyone who does not vote has no right to complain. Just a closing comment, and I will end all my reports the same way at least until after Nov. 3rd- be informed!! learn the truth and do not be hoodwinked by blown up accusations and negative comments. We have much to do in our town, and those that contribute nothing but negativity may find a small group that will believe them, but my faith in our town convinces me that they will not prevail. When the attacks become personal, it is out of desperation, with nothing good for the town resulting. Thank you, you all know how to get a hold of me, and it is an honor to represent our town. John Salka, Town Supervisor

September 9th There was an excellent turnout (again) for the Beaver Valley Rod & Gun Club bow shoot this past Saturday. The weather was fine and over 90 shooters showed up to take the challenge. This was the first opportunity for me to actually walk the course and it was very impressive! I can only see this expanding, and the club has done a superb job with the course. As a matter of fact, there were some shooters from Rome who said that they felt it was one of the best courses around the Central New York area. There will be one more, and I believe that it will be around the beginning of October, a great time of year for an event such as this. The board meeting on Monday night will be a busy one as you can probably tell from the agenda that is posted. One thing that I feel will be important to stress though is that although I really appreciate the fact that we now have more people attending our board meetings than have been in a long time, we really need to keep the comments and chatter to a minimum so that we can conduct business. I know folks in our town like to speak their mind, but there is a time and place, and town affairs have to be dealt with. When I was on the school board, we held meetings every two weeks, and although I do not see that happening with the town, sometimes I wish we could do that just to keep up with the complexities of the job. Work on the budget has been ongoing, and just about all the numbers we need to pull it together are in and it looks challenging to say the least. Sales tax this quarter alone is down almost 10% with the year to date almost 5% down overall. Needless to say returns on investments are not great, and I am really not sure what to expect from the state for 2010. Keep your fingers double crossed that we do not experience another fuel spike like last year. That would be particularly tough on us. A good portion of our highway equipment is in dire need of repairs, and that could place a big strain on that part of the budget. Again, anyone with any ideas, please do not hesitate to make suggestions. We are all in this together. I did have the opportunity to speak to the Leonardsville Fire Company at the monthly meeting last Sunday about the comprehensive plan, and it went quite well. We did get into a couple on interesting discussions about taxes and unions, and all was civil and constructive. I gave a presentation to the rest of my county supervisors at our monthly meeting, and I wanted to inform them of the potential implications of what could be a bad flu season. It could have an impact on services with many people that deliver those services out sick. Some predictions are up to 30% of the workforce. Let’s hope for the best. I must add just this little remark. We all know that it is an election year, and it looks like there will be some interesting things going on. My only word of advice at this point is that you get all the facts, do your research, and GET INVOLVED! Please vote and vote informed. Thanks, and you all know how to get a hold of me. It is an honor to serve you. John J. Salka Brookfield Town Supervisor

AUGUST 28th Now that the field work being done by the state comptroller’s office is finished, we will be receiving an assessment on what they found within the next two weeks. Keep in mind that this is a risk assessment, not an audit, and they will be advising us on how we can do things better. I did have a preliminary report from the auditor, and he said that most likely all aspects of out management will have some corrective action needed. Seeing that it has been a very long time since anything like this has been done for our town, I expected that there will be many things that we will learn from this exercise, and I am looking forward to the report. The examiner spoke to the judges, two of the councilmen, our town clerk, myself (over 11 hours), and to the accountant that has been doing our books. At times I had more questions for him than he had for me, and along with recently attending a class on town finances, I am confident that we will be able to do the job better for our taxpayers. One thing that has been stressed all along is the need for the whole board to be involved in the process, both for the finances and the upcoming budget, not just the supervisor. I will be holding budget meetings for the public soon, and I will announce when they are. I am also working with the Comptroller’s office to resolve the problems that we have had with the balance sheets, and I spoke to their chief examiner from Syracuse, and he has assured me that we will be able to correct the problem relatively easily. After that we can move on and get back to business as usual. I attended a gathering recently at Cazenovia College to announce the opening of the Upstate Center for Equine Economic Development. Senators Schumer and Valesky where there, along with Assemblyman Magee and local dignitaries. I am quite excited about it because it is opening up a new source of funding for those businesses that are involved with horses. There is now something called Equine Alley in Madison County, and I am working on getting the horse trails here in Brookfield involved. I hope to tour the trails soon with Senator Valesky and the presidents of Cazenovia and Morrisville colleges. They seem very interested, and this may hold some potential for our area. We need to look at whatever we can to help our town’s economic future. Also, I did go to the town hall meeting in Waterville recently held by Congressman Acurie to appeal to him to work harder for our dairy farmers. He explained how tough this has been due to the fact that the country is so fragmented when it comes to working together to improve milk prices. As I said to him, something needs to be done yesterday! I know that there has been some rumbling going on about the website, and I can assure you that we will not compromise the best interests of the town, and I really look forward to the comments after the election. I am certain that there are many in the town that have great ideas for us, and I look forward to hearing from them. If there is anything that you need to discuss with me, you know how to get a hold of me. Thanks for your support. John J. Salka Twon Supervisor jsalka@cmhhamilton.com

AUGUST 18th The state comptroller is conducting a survey of our town's records and I have spent more that five hours with his rep already. He has interviewed a judge, two councilmen, and will be speaking with our town clerk. Questions are focused on a number of processes that we use to keep track of our finances, how the bills are paid, what type of checks and balances we have, along with a very detailed account of employee records and benefits. From what I understand, this has not been done in a very long time, and this is a good use of our state resources. Although it is a somewhat time consuming and gruling process, I, for one ,welcome it. We all know what has been going on lately with our town finances, and I am hoping that this will give us an opportunity for improvement and a chance to let all sides of the story be known. The attacks at the last town board meeting were not only unprofessional, but served no purpose but to cloud an already complicated issue. As I have said before, we have so many important and critical issues before us that need to be adressed and petty slandering is good for no one. Unfortunately, due to the need for me to spend a large portion of my time and energies on this financial issue, I just do not have enough time to spend on the planning of a block party. Many people think that it was a great idea, but it might have to wait until until things are not quite so busy. If anyone does want to pick up the ball on this, please do and I will do whatever I can to help. Also, there is a new sign in front of the town hall. We spruced up the one that was there. Remember, if there is anything that you would like to have posted on it, let me know and I will get it on there. This is YOUR sign, just like this is YOUR town, not just mine, I was just elected to run it, and I cannot do it without YOU! We did authorize Ed Bennett to go ahead and purchase a used Gradall. I know that he needs the tools to do the job, and we have always fully supported him. This one I am a little nervous about. We have already had a bad experience with one old machine, and I am holding my breath that this one lasts. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I am thinking about having another town hall meeting on some of the latest developments with the gas drilling, and I will let you know on the time. There is a big rally in Bainbridge this Sunday ( 8-23). If you need any info, let me know. Remember, we are not anti drilling, but definitely pro Brookfield. Let them come, but demand responsible management of our land. If there is anything you need to talk about, you know how to contact me. Thanks, John

AUGUST 12th The town board meeting was held at the North Brookfield firehouse on Monday night, and what a meeting it was! There were more accusations and innuendos than at the OJ Simpson trials. It appears that despite my best efforts to keep the politics out of our town business, it keeps on rearing its ugly head too often for the town’s own good. We are aware of all the problems going on with the town balance sheets, and I and the board are working hard to straighten them out. This has gone on way too long, and we are taking the proper actions to protect the people’s money. The bottom line is that NO town money has been wasted, misspent, or EMBEZZLED, at least not by me. I will be meeting with the state comptroller’s office as early as tomorrow (8-13) and I look forward to any suggestions that they may have so we can do our job better. The board was kept in the dark about the town finances for a very long time, and they have admitted that they can no longer continue to be out of the loop regarding our citizen’s money. We have a good board, and I know that when we work together for the good of our town, we will be able to do good things, things that our town so desperately needs like decent roads and reasonable taxes. With all the garbage that we see coming out of Albany and Washington now, isn’t it obvious that we need to work together instead of pointing the finger and trying to make others look bad? After the meeting, Martha Conway, a reporter from the Madison County Courier who has been covering board meetings for a long time stated that if she did not see it with her own eyes, she would have never believed it. I firmly believe in the right of the people to be able to speak their mind, but accusations of liar and mismanagement have no place in that forum. It is no wonder that young people do not want to enter politics anymore when they see how mean spirited and nasty it has become. I believe that the whole board is tired of the politics, the balance sheets that do not make sense, the temper tantrums that go on, and the overall cynicism permeating a part of our town. Regardless of what happens, this is one supervisor that will be looking very forward to November 4th. Oh, and by the way, you probably are not reading this but if you are, could the person or persons who are vandalizing the town sign board please have a little respect for town property? Thank you, and you know how to contact me if you need to. John J. Salka Brookfield Town Supervisor

AUGUST 7th There was a very successful public meeting last night (7/6) to discuss the Gorton lake property and the options that we have before us on how we can go about utilizing it in the best possible manner. It was attended by over 30 people, and despite that fact that it was probably about 110 degrees in the room; everyone was comfortable with what went on. We heard from a number of people that had very constructive things to say, and we covered some important points with respect to the particulars if we go ahead with signing this over to the Rod & Gun club. There was some concern on the part of an attendee that the mineral rights for the land should be protected, and most agreed that that was an important point. By the end of the meeting, after some very interesting discussion, it was agreed, at least in concept, that the R&G club would retain the timber rights, and the water and mineral rights would be off limits. Of course this is all in the fine print that will be needed to be agreed on by both parties. The bottom line is that this was a great exercise in how government should work; the public and private sectors getting together to see how we can do the common good for our town. The R&G club will be great stewards for the land, and the town citizens will be able to utilize this wonderful resource. My hat is off to all involved who have worked so hard to bring this about. I am truly proud to be a part of it. Hopefully we will be able to present a resolution at Monday’s board meeting in North Brookfield to place this before the voters in November. Speaking of the board meeting, the four board members have invited representatives from RECOR, the company that has handled the town’s books for the past 11 years, to attend. There have been a number of issues that have arisen in the past year and a half, and the board would like to find out some of the possible reasons why. As you may know, I have interviewed several different accountants who may be interested in taking over our books. I would prefer to use a Madison County business rather than one that is located many miles away up in Booneville (Oneida County). Unfortunately, the headline in the Utica OD last Friday read how the former head of this company who is still employed by them, has been charged with embezzlement from the Booneville library and it is a matter of concern for me as he has been our accountant for the last 11 years. I have felt compelled to contact the state Comptroller who has advised me that it might be advisable to review our books and order an audit, at least for the time that this alleged activity had taken place, supposedly from 2005 into the beginning of 2008. I will keep the community up on any developments. The bottom line is that our records are intact, and I will always be vigilant of our taxpayer’s money. Thank you and you all know how to get a hold of me with any questions or concerns. John J. Salka Town of Brookfield Supervisor

JULY 28th

There will be a special board meeting on Thursday the 6th of August at 7:00 PM at the town hall to discuss the property on the West side of Gorton Lake. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the details, as it is something that I feel needs as much public input as possible. Every year the county holds an auction in the fall to sell off properties that have gone for back taxes. Last year I noticed that there was a piece that was being offered that is located on the West side of Gorton Lake that is approximately 54 acres. The county took possession of this land in 1927, has had it logged off several times, and has done nothing else with it. They have never paid the town any taxes for it, and the revenue that it has produced has always gone into the county coffers. A group of land owners on the lake came to me with some concern that if this did go to auction, it may be bought by someone from outside the area, and may not be given the attention that it deserves, especially the part that has then dam for the lake located on it. Upon doing some research on this property, we found that there was a potential complication with it that might not allow it to be sold. It involved a resolution that was passed a while ago that classified it as a piece of property that would be listed as forever wild and could not be developed, sold, or changed in any way. That got it off the auction block. After that, I had the county attorney do a lot of research into whether or not this was the case. He found that the resolution did not, in fact, restrict its use. So, through action of the county board of Supervisors, we got the county to sign this piece of property over to the town of Brookfield. It is, at this time, town property. All the time that this was going on, the Beaver Valley Rod & Gun Club has expressed a strong interest in this land as it borders their club. They have already held a bow shoot there with impressive numbers showing up, and plan to have several more in the very near future. The land is, of course, insured, and the R & G club put additional coverage on it. The proposal that is before us is that the Club would like to take possession of this land from the town. They have made a strong case that they are good stewards of the land, will pay taxes if required, and can use the land as a way to increase interest in their club and in the sport of bow hunting. They have done an excellent job of raising funds for their bow shoots, and have shown great sponsorship of the property. Of course due to the fact that it is public land, there needs to be proper process applied to deciding how it is handled. That is why I am calling for a public meeting to be held, so that all sides of this issue may be discussed and the facts be known. From what I have been told, there have been other pieces of property that the town has received from the county, although at this time I am not sure when and where. I would hope that everyone that is concerned about this show up for the special meeting, and whether or not you are against this, you will have every right for comment. There is a process for this, and everyone will have a chance to contribute. Thanks, and any questions please do not hesitate to call. John J. Salka Town of Brookfield Supervisor jsalka@cmhhamilton.com

July 14th. The town board held its monthly meeting last night in Brookfield, and a number of issues were discussed. The planning board chairman was not in attendance so I gave the report. At the last planning board meeting, there was a joint meet between the town board and the planning board. We discussed the proposal to set a minimum road frontage for building lots to 150. After much discussion of the pros and cons, members decided that we would revisit this issue after we researched what other towns are doing, and to maybe get some input from the community. This was a very worthwhile meeting, and we are considering doing it again. I gave my report, and have been trying to include county business, an update on the budget process, and our proposal for a block party. I have invited the public to contribute any ideas that they may have this year in helping us with what could be a very contentious budget. I informed those present that my budget will be an open process, and it is their money that we are spending, and they have every right to comment. Government cannot work in a vacuum and we will need all the help we can get. An issue did come up during last night’s meeting; one that concerns the balance sheets for the town. We receive these monthly statements from our accounting firm, and they have been a source of problems for quite some time. It seems that they have experienced a change in personal and the individual that handles our account has had a difficult time in maintaining our books as they should be. There have been errors, and fortunately none have been serious, but this is taxpayer’s money, and there should be no slip ups. I am giving this added attention and will be solving this problem very soon. It has gone on way too long. I spoke about the need for a capital reserve fund. This is sort of a savings account that the town will keep to put money aside for purchases of highway equipment. If we have cash on hand when we need it, it will save us much in not needing to borrow. I hope to be putting this before the voters in November. Most towns have some sort of reserve fund, and I believe that it will be in Brookfield's best interests to pursue this. The county fair was a success! The latest estimates are that approx. 17,000 people passed through the gates, at least three times the attendance of last year. My hat is off to Mary Massere from the county, and, of course, our fair board. You folks have kept that going for years, and maybe now you will get the help you deserve from the county. I will do my best to fight for it. We updated everyone on highways, and there is no major problems going on there. Eddy Bennett will be renting a Gradall for two weeks at $2100.00 per week, and he thinks that he can get what he needs done in that time. Dewitt Head informed us that there will be another fun day at the North Brookfield park, and that will be Sunday the 26th starting at 9:00 AM. I have been to these events, and they are a lot of fun. The water issue there has been solved, and I am quite proud to have been able to help with that through the settlement I fought for with AIG insurance to the tune of $37,000.00 last year. As a side note, I am hoping that we get more to help out with what I call the first in a long time block party for the Town of Brookfield. It is tentatively scheduled for the weekend after labor day, and we plan to have some good old fashioned fun like a pie eating contest, three legged race, a dunking pool (possibly with the supervisor) and a town softball game. There may even be some surprises. If you are interested in helping out, call me at 861-2793. The next town board meeting will be in North Brookfield. Remember, this is your website to use, and please do not hesitate to do so. Thanks, John John J. Salka Brookfield Town Supervisor

July 2nd. In order to keep folks informed to the happenings around our town and our county, I would like to take the opportunity to update everyone on what has been going on. The county board of supervisors has passed the radio project that has been in the makings for a long time. What is significant about that is that it will greatly improve emergency communications for our town, that being Leonardsville also. It came with a high price tag, but the state and federal governments are giving us little choice. We will probably see new towers going up on Doyle Road in North Brookfield, and one over toward Leonardsville. There is even talk that they will piggy back some DSL services on the towers. We have had an issue with emergency communication coverage for a long time and we are hoping that this takes care of it. Unfortunately, we have had some major problems with an important piece of highway equipment, the Gradall, and it looks like we may have to purchase one sooner or later. It is very important to the crew because they use it for ditching our roads. That is an important process to keep water from damaging the roads. The cost of even a used one is better than $100,000.00 and, of course, it could not come at a worse time. We will be meeting to discuss our options, and try our best to consider the most practical option. We are looking at some hefty equipment purchase and repairs in the near future, and as tight as money is, there will be some tough decisions to make. There has been some discussion about opening up the roads in our town to four wheelers. We have not gotten into the real meat of the issue yet, and there may be many things to consider here with this one. What I think we need to do is to consider things that may help our town generate revenue so that we may be able to afford some of these very expensive costs that we are looking at without having to raise taxes. This community gets hit hard enough with our taxes and gas bills getting back and forth to work, along with everything else, and we need to consider all we can to maintain our good quality of life. On the bright side, the Fair is right around the corner, and there is lots of excitement about it! I think that it could be the best fair in a long time, and the fair board has worked very hard (as usual) to make it happen. I hope that everyone comes out to have a good time, and there seems to be, if the weather holds out, the potential for a great one. There will be a lot of exhibits from all over the county. Even the grandstand is getting a new coat of paint. I hope to be there for the entire time, and look forward to seeing you there.

June 19th First of all, I want to thank Aaron for his hard work and dedication to the town of Brookfield for the design and maintenance of such a wonderful site. Also, I wish to give a heart felt condolence for the loss of his dad. There is nothing harder than to experience the loss of a loved one. God bless. Just by virtue of the fact that this website exists, and has received so many hits, means that our town is entering into a new era. It means that Brookfield has an opportunity to reach into the future and to realize the potential that we have. This is a good, solid town. One that has been a good home to many in the past, and can be a good community for many to come. We have respectable neighbors, wonderful land, and a future that can be bright and productive. OK, enough of that. Lets discuss some of the issues that we need to be aware of and to know were we stand. In the very recent past, we have had a number of challenges to our community. These have come in the form of land speculators who are acquiring land for gas drillers. This can be a mixed blessing that can put some desperately needed revenue in the pockets of some of our landowners like our farmers, but have serious environmental consequences. There are proposals being made that would allow for a better distribution of the wealth being produced from the commodities that are being drawn from our lands. There will be more town hall meetings about this in the very near future. Another issue that we will need to stay ahead of is development. There is definitely a strong interest in land in our town. We have to stay vigilant to this to make sure that outside interests are aware of who we are as a town, and the impact it will have on our roads, our school, and our quality of life. Change can be good, but must be watched very closely. There is a comprehensive planning committee formed that will help the town managers and the planning board make the proper decisions. I encourage any who are concerned about our town's future to at least sit in on these meetings. And, of course, our roads. Budgets are tight, and the roads in our town place the biggest burden on our budget. We have to think about how we can work toward maximizing every dollar that we spend for our roads. The people who may be able to contribute the most to this type of issue is our highway crew. They know the lay of the land, the equipment, and being town residents themselves, have a vested interest in our town. There is a town wide re-evaluation that is in the works. Although we have had several town hall meetings about this, the town board invites questions and concerns that people may have. Increasing costs of fuel, labor and equipment are placing strains on our budget that need to be addressed, and this re-evaluation may be part of an overall effort to support this essential service. This will be the first of what I hope will be many reports that the town supervisor will be submitting to the website, and to the citizens of the town. I encourage any and all to contribute, make comments, complaints, or whatever you would like to say about your town and its government. We can use the help. John Salka, Town Supervisor