Supervisor Brian X. Foley
State of the Town Address
Turnaround Accomplishments

Accountability and Saving Taxpayer Dollars Town-wide

• Brought budget discipline to Town Hall.  Departments no longer allowed to spend beyond their budgeted means.
  
• Saved $57,000 in pre-pay discount fees by paying the Town’s 2005-2006 NYS Retirement System bill on time.
  
• Ended decades of no-bid insurance broker fees, and in a matter of weeks hired a new broker and saved $1.3 million in broker and coverage fees in 2006.
  
• Creating new Standard Operating Procedures Manual for town wide implementation
  
• Creating Financial Policies & Procedures and will provide training to Town departments on common financial practices.
  
• Created Grants Working Group to formally identify problems in the grant process, establish policies and procedures for departments to follow and formalize grant reporting procedures and track reimbursements.
  
• Creating a Budget & Management Unit Within Finance to bring best practices to Town operations including vehicle use/control, wireless communication.
  
• Full justification for capital expenditures are being required, including: project description, justification of need, total cost, three year cost, operating impact, etc.

Department Highlights

• Empowered our Parks employees by undertaking a comprehensive training program.
  
• Saved thousands of dollars in out of title costs by placing workers in the job titles that they actually perform.
  
• Implemented a systematic Parks Inspection Program to evaluate and score the condition of every park.
  
• Updating the Q-Welcome software to shorten wait-times, making an immediate impact.
  
• Installing a gas treatment system at the landfill to reduce odors and lessen the impact of the landfill on surrounding communities.
  
• Undertaking Operation Sparkle and Shine, an intensive effort to focus town resources on cleaning up areas traditionally under-served by town government.
  
• Formed a Citizens’ Advisory Board to help us thoughtfully select outstanding individuals for the Planning and Zoning boards.
  
• Adopted the comprehensive land use plan for Coram, Middle Island, and Ridge.
  
• Engaged in a community-based visioning process in Gordon Heights and Middle Country Road corridor in Selden and Centereach.
  
• Protected over 200 acres of open space across our town since January.
  
• We’re on track to certify half as many businesses in 2006 this year alone as the town has reviewed in its entire history.
  
• Implementing a workforce development Plan charged with providing access to job opportunities within the Town Of Brookhaven Empire Zone.
  
• Calabro Airport was the first general aviation airport to reopen following the Blizzard of 2006. Repaired relationship with FAA and received nearly $500,000 for airport maintenance, with more help on the way.