Select Board Ends Department Liaison Roles

Select Board · Meeting of March 18, 2026

Brookfield Select Board voted to eliminate its department liaison system, shifting highway department oversight to the town administrator. The unanimous vote followed a heated public exchange in which a resident identified only as Bruce argued the change stripped authority from board member Beth Coughlin, prompting repeated warnings from the board's chair against "personal attacks." Highway Superintendent Kyle Rakowski told the board his department has racked up more than $14,000 in emergency repairs while operating at 40 percent staffing. Separately, the board delayed signing a $670,676 Rice Corner Bridge Culvert contract to a March 23 special meeting, approved a combined $65,000 snow and ice deficit request, and voted to deny reimbursement for the animal control officer's firearm.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Brookfield's community access TV: Select Board meeting, March 18, 2026
• The complete report: 905 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of March 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.