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Brookfield planning board accepts resignation, elects interim leaders and moves meetings to evenings
Summary
The Brookfield Planning Board accepted a resignation, elected interim leadership through the March town election and voted to shift regular meetings from mornings to 6 p.m.; members said they will review and amend the board's rules of procedure.
The Brookfield Planning Board on Jan. 13 accepted the resignation of longtime member Richard Surratt and elected interim leadership while agreeing to change its regular meeting time from mornings to 6 p.m.
Vice Chairman Eddie Wilson told the board he would serve as chair through March and the upcoming town election. "I will take on the chairmanship between now and March, and then maybe we can reassess," Wilson said. The board then voted to appoint him to lead until March; members later confirmed Marshall Goldberg as vice chair.
The board also voted to move its regular meetings to the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m., citing easier access for working residents. "Most people that would work in the county or people don't wanna make people take the day off for that," Wilson said during the discussion.
Members said they will review and update the planning board's rules of procedure, noting outdated references (for example, posting locations) and inconsistencies such as differing review deadlines between the site-plan rules and the board's schedule. "There's a lot of little inconsistencies like that. So I think we'll put that on the 02/2025 list of things to do along with warrants and master plans," Wilson said.
Board members also discussed administrative details tied to the rules review, including whether a written resignation must go to the selectmen. Town counsel Laura Specter will be asked to clarify procedural and legal questions as the board rewrites sections of its rules.
The board approved the minutes from Dec. 23 and confirmed there are several upcoming vacancies and terms expiring that will be posted by the town clerk ahead of the town election.
Members said office hours and public communication practices may be clarified during the rules update; the board emphasized that official actions should be documented in writing to avoid confusion about who speaks for the board.
The board recorded the resignation of Richard Surratt in a dated letter and voted to accept it; members said they will request additional confirmation if the selectmen require it.
Looking ahead, members said they will circulate proposed rule changes to counsel and bring revised language back for review and vote before implementing the changes.
