The Brookfield Scene

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer.  Children return to school, and they often have to report on what they did during summer vacations.

Several St. John Vianney students have much to tell. 

The float they created won the Mayor’s Award for Most Significant Spirit of the 4^th of July.  The Award and several pictures from the parade are on display at St. John Vianney. 

Pictures say a thousand words, but this user could not overcome the technological challenges.

As most readers know, I live in the Town of Brookfield.  I am about 30 feet from the city line. 

 For about two months, Brookfield's Economic Development Committee has been considering the city's staff proposal to solicit bids for convention and visitor bureau services beyond its existing provider.  These services have been provided by the Brookfield Convention and Visitors Bureau for nearly twenty years.   The bureau is currently autonomous and apparently the mayor and his staff want more control and more accountability from the bureau.

The Bureau's marketing efforts are funded by the city's and town's hotel room taxes. 70% of its revenue is from city hotels; 30% is from the town's hotels. As of the July 28 meeting, the town had not been informed about the city's intent to 'secede'.

Several attendees at the July 28 meeting spoke against the proposal.  An attorney for the Brookfield Convention & Visitors Bureau said the city seemed to be trying to find a solution without defining the problem.  Another person voiced that ‘the proposal was not a positive step' toward regional cooperation.  (As of July 28, the town was not aware of the city's proposal.) 

All but one committee member favored moving forward - sending Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with an anticipated turnover date of January 1, 2009.

Dan Ertl, community development director stressed that, "The Mayor and city department heads have suggested that this is the model that needs to be followed to effectuate change."

This week, Mayor Jeff Speaker clarified the motivation by suggesting that some of the hotel tax revenue should be used toward further economic development of the city.  Is that the intent of the hotel room tax?

The Brookfield Police Department is trying to reduce its fleets gasoline costs.  The solutions: limiting travel (up to 10%) for 7 to 8 squads on each of shift; turning squad engines off (rather than idling) when stopped; having more foot patrols; and staffng two-'man' squads.

Most of these solutions make sense.  But doubling up in squads doesn't seem an effective use of human resources in Brookfield.  Two-'man' squads are generally used in areas subject to more violent crimes - where crowd control is needed.  

Each week, our local paper carries police reports.  The city usually has about 20 reports of burglary, vandalism and other crimes each week.  Crime takes place at homes and businesses throughout the city.  But Brookfield's "mall" is a common single location for crime. Increasing the visiblility of police at Brookfield Square, and a patrol of the perimenter could prevent crime from happening.

Enforcing the speed limits on city streets could also make our roads safer and generate revenue for the city.