Record Keeping At Brookfield Town Hall

Everyone in town should be shocked and appalled that tax payer dollars are being spent to track the time it takes to compile Freedom of Information requests.

Any properly arranged filing, record keeping system should lend itself to the location of a given file or document in moments.

If the documents are being screened before being made available then an illegal activity is occurring and the Freedom of Information Commission notified.

If a synopsis or summary of the information is being prepared, that too is illegal.

If the files are in poor condition, that is not the fault of the requestor, it is an indication of incompetence by the current and perhaps previous people and the failure to maintain the towns records effectively. This should be reported to the State Librarian who has responsibility to see it's done properly. They should launch an investigation into Brookfield's failure over the last twenty years to maintain good records and failure to request documentation destruction authorizations from the State Librarian.

It would suggest that if this "tracking' activity continues - the town ledger, accounts payable -- the Town check book - should be requested and examined.

All expenditures should be properly listed with the required "back up" information That is basic accounting procedures and to date, the financial procedures and policies requested from town hall for 6 years has yet to be produced or shown.

No records need to be pulled nor should any effort of the employees be necessary. It is hard to believe that the annual audit would not have uncovered any serious filing/record keeping transgressions. If such is the case, letters to the town's auditors should be written alerting them to the fact for their annual audit with a copy to the secretary of the Brookfield Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance.

The Boards and auditors can be mailed to:

Brookfield Board of Finance
100 Pocono Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
Attention: William N. Tinsley, Secretary

Brookfield Board of Selectmen
100 Pocono Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
Attention: Ginny Giovennello, Secretary


CCR
124 Hebron Avenue
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Attention Robert L. Howard
rhoward@ccrllp.com
Phone: (860) 781-6700
Fax: (860) 633-0480