Brookfield is planning to ask its voters in November to approve a referendum question that would allow the village to fund street improvements for the next 25 years. With an eye to explaining its case to voters, the village government is considering working with a consultant who specializes in educating residents.
“The intention is to raise $2 million annually without increasing the tax rate, taking advantage of the fact that some of the debt from the previous road referendum is falling off the tax rolls,” Finance Director Doug Cooper told village trustees on April 13.
With the prior referendum’s debt being paid off, taxpayers would normally experience a decrease in the amount of property taxes they owe, but if voters approve the new referendum, taxes will remain steady, Cooper said. The portion of the levy that had gone toward debt would instead go toward Brookfield’s street maintenance through 2051…