Senior Viewpoint

Richard -  Leave a message with YOUR PHONE NUMBER and I will return your call.  You failed to do that Monday and also failed to call my cell phone as you explicitly promised in your message.  I want to work with you, but your insistence on communicating via blog entries is not efficient.  Since your phone is unlisted, you may email me your contact info at scott@scottberg.com   Thank you.

Hi Richard, I disagree with you proposition of pick up every two weeks during the winter. Have an inclement winter like we had last year and the amount of garbage accumulated at a persons residence can grow substantially. The volume the trucks must hall also will grow substantially and so the tonnage is going to be the same if it is picked up once a week or every other week. Can their trucks hold two weeks of refuse or will they have to make an additional trip.

If you look at drives after a one day holiday push on the pick up it gets to be more. The exercise for the elderly is good. They do not exercise enough the way it is, gives them a reason to get out of the chair and clean the drive. If they are unable to shovel anyway then the point is mute. The drive has to be cleaned anyway no matter who or what is doing it for them anyway.

Removing the Human Resource person is really not right. Who then becomes the listening post for yea's and nay's of employees concerns with confidentiality. The employee hand book interpretations and or questions and answers to same. Maybe if the person has extra time they could do other assignments with in the office and assist other people that may have had extra duties assigned to them with the elimination of some position or not filling an open position so you don't have to terminate an individual and face the expense of that.

An alternate to full time employees is to alter positions to two part time employees with no benefits. Done all the time in the real world. Huge savings on the health insurance and retirement options. There will still be qualified people that apply for those jobs who do not want to work full time. If some one is ill you then have a person to go to and fill in till the person is back to work.

I also don't think the elimination of a link in the chain of command in the police department will help keep the department running as efficently as it does right now. The spirit of your conversation is for frugality but once again, I would have to think that all the department heads have been cornered and encouraged to tighten up the financial belt.

As our dragon has grown (municipal buildings added to) it takes a certain amount of people to run the machine. With the school system being a separate entity for any municipality there is duplication of services their, maintenance for buildings, cutting of grass, plowing of snow. Duplication of equipment. Unfortunately we cannot join those services to eliminate duplication of services.

But the dragon keeps growing in all areas, larger buildings now for those that wanted them, more energy to heat them, (new equipment will not save any dollars as compared to the increase in square footage)Our dragon has a ferocious appetite for those evil dollars.

I have talked to you about the other subject of schools here but same item, tax dollars. We seem to want to eliminate services to keep the tax rate down but the bill keeps growing larger with less pay back for the payee's. When will it stop, it won't, government likes to grow bigger to maintain control. Not a dead end street by any means.  Have a nice day.

Nothing will ever happen unless and until city officials actually WANT to trim budgets and save some money. When the attitude is "I've got to protect my turf (re:budget)" then absolutely nothing will change. It's that simple and it's true of all government entities. Once again, it's OPM (other people's money) and their seems to be little inclination to run the city like they might manage their personal finances.

Scott. I Just called the phone no. listed in the official city website and the automated message said to leave my no. which I Did. The website

does not list your e-mail or cell phone.

Brookfield Now.com published today states that them city finance committee should look at every expense in these economic times, and that is what I am doing as a citizen. And as a citizen I can only suggest.

See ny post of Oct. for comments by mikeyd on subject of DARE program.

See ny post of Oct. for comments by mikeyd on subject of DARE program.

sorry for typos. since eye surgery I need new bifocals.

It is unfortunate that I have to use my own blog to communicate with city hall leaders because I have called Ald. Berg and the Pres. of the Aldermen, and no return calls yet. There comes a time when assumptions are made from silence. If you sign up for public service then you must perform. Senior citizens expect that. Their offer to attend the Finance Committee meeting and sit in silence and the final council meeting when the budget decisions have already been made is not ther democratic process. The Mayor should appoint at once a citizens committee to adopt and recommend an alternative budget. Smoke and mirrors don't work anymore.