Town Supervisor’s Report
3/2/26
I am not under the impression that Wilmington news is on the forefront of anyone’s mind right now.
Frankly, it seems gauche to publish a report like this at a time like this.
On the other hand, if I don’t publish these reports when more important national or international events are taking place, I will publish very few reports.
I apologize to anyone who finds a report such as this, at a time such as this, in bad taste.
With that disclaimer … Here is some of the news from Wilmington.
1.
The town board is aware that Wilmington residents’ painfully high electricity bills have again escalated.
People with higher salaries and bigger rolodexes than ours are working on this and trying to ease these sometimes shocking bills.
We are going to do what we can, too.
The following information is from town board member Randy Winch:
“Here are a couple of numbers to call that may help with your electric bills.
If you get HEAP, SNAP, Medicaid, Veterans’ Disability, or SSI, call 800-572-1111, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For everyone else: For household incomes below $69,477 (1 person), $90,854 (2 people), $112,232 (3 people), $133,609 (4 person household), call 877-400-2501 for the Enhanced Energy Affordability Program.
It is worth a try and I hope it helps people out with their electric bills.”
At our meeting on 2/25, the town board passed a resolution joining other towns in pleading for relief.
There is also a petition at the town hall for people to sign.
I met with a NYSEG representative last week.
The most important information to share from that meeting is that he recommends switching from Day-Night pricing to regular residential pricing — unless you work nights or are diligent about conducting your household’s energy-intensive activities after sundown.
He did say that he expects our bills to lighten as winter gives way to spring and energy usage decreases statewide, but he doesn’t expect them to return to what we considered normal.
He recommended calling the numbers Randy cited earlier in this report. He said enrolling in those programs probably won’t result in a dramatic change, but it will probably help a little. (I applied for the Enhanced Energy Affordability Program. If it makes a difference, I will share that information).
I will try to share some of the other takeaways from our meeting in the near future. It was interesting information, and it helps explain what is going on, but it’s not going to reduce anyone’s bills.
He said he is willing to come back and take your questions. I am going to try to make that happen.
2.
The town board held an open “town hall forum” two weeks ago to hear Wilmington residents’ ideas, learn more about their concerns, and answer their questions.
You can watch the event here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTaduz-X8E&list=PLsGhG0cDO8oCVNEhvdrJkJl_yNLdGK8GR
3.
At the regular monthly town board meetings I’ve tried to balance allowing open community discussion and public questions with the overriding goals of making up for lost time, getting things done, and making progress on the issues the members of the town board campaigned on.
It can be a tricky thing to balance.
In the past few years I’ve seen at least one Wilmington town board discussion get totally derailed by a member of the public. In 2022, town board meetings for several months in a row went off the rails during “public comment” periods. And I’ve watched a Planning-Zoning Board meeting become an almost-unbelievable free-for-all.
These are the types of things I am trying to avoid.
Last week I allowed a meeting to get stuck in a series of prolonged loops of public questions, arguing between board members, and arguing between board members and members of the public.
It was easily the least productive meeting of the year.
It is my responsibility to determine the manner in which the meetings are conducted. And to ensure that the meetings are both efficient and orderly, I will have to run a tighter ship in the future.
Ultimately, the purpose of these meetings is not to hold a meandering, casual dialogue. The purpose of these meetings is to allow the five people who were elected to do their work — in public.
The meetings will be more focused from now on.
I’m not against public input — I’ve done my fair share to solicit public input, maybe more than any elected official in Wilmington has in quite a while — but not everything can happen at the same time.
There will be additional town hall forums in the future.
4.
For the first time in a few years, most community groups have official liaisons to the town board.
The list of “board member assignments” approved at the February regular monthly town board meeting is below.
Follos:
Fire & Rescue
Cromie:
Comprehensive Plan
Visitor’s Bureau / events
Zoning code amendments
Hooker:
Budget
Handbook
Highway
Planning & zoning boards
Website
Zoning code amendments
Forbes:
Cemetery expansion
Highway
Historical Society
Parks, buildings, and grounds
Visitor’s Bureau / events
Water
Winch:
Homestead Housing
Library
Parks, buildings, and grounds
Senior services
Youth
To clear up something that has been a source of confusion in the past: It is not the responsibility of the board member liaisons to attend every single meeting or function held by the various community groups. It is reasonable to expect the liaisons to attend a few of the meetings of “their” organizations over the course of a year.
Overall, the liaisons’ role is to serve as the point-of-contact between the town board and various community groups, independent committees, etc.
If a community group needs something from the town or wants the town board to know something, the group should communicate that information to their liaison, and the liaison should communicate that information to the town board.
4.
Are you a remote worker? If so, there is an upcoming event in Wilmington just for you!
This social and informative get-together will take place on March 14th.
For more information, please call me at the town hall.
5.
In mid-February I attended the annual New York Association of Towns conference in Manhattan.
As was the case in previous years, it was a very good conference.
And, as was the case in previous years, the fact that it was held in Times Square … seems strange.
It is a shame that there aren’t any hotels in Albany, Ithaca, Utica, Elmira, Geneva, Peekskill, or Poughkeepsie.
At the conference I attended the classes “Red, White, and Risk Management: Planning Safe and Effective Public Events,” “Advocating for Your Community,” and “Boosting Grant Success: How Small Towns Can Best Position Themselves for State & Federal Funding.”
A highlight of past conferences was the “open forum” Question and Answer session with the Association of Towns’ staff attorneys.
I got a lot out of this discussion in previous years and the same was true this time around.
I’m particularly glad to have attended “Advocating for Your Community,” because it was a series of lectures from and discussions with people who are noteworthy in the Wilmington region: a member of the regional planning board; a Lake Placid resident who has worked at the highest levels in state politics; and an area Assemblyman. I definitely took in some useful information during and after this session.
On Monday afternoon I made it around to most of the vendors, state agencies, and contractors tabling in a large “ballroom” space. During this time I collected a lot of business cards, three magnets, and 482 pens. I believe at least one or two of those business cards will prove to be useful for the town.
Every year I’m not sure whether I should attend this conference or not.
It’s kind of a dilemma.
It is a good conference.
On the other hand, it’s unnecessarily expensive; Times Square is an interesting place to walk through once or twice a decade, but it isn’t anyone’s idea of a great environment for learning (or even for networking); and getting into Manhattan often seems to entail some kind of headache or snafu.
But what are you going to do?
There are no hotels in Saratoga Springs.
6.
The fledgling Comprehensive Plan Committee met for the fourth time recently. This time a dozen or so Wilmington community members were joined by Wally Walters, who is working on Jay’s Comprehensive Plan.
Comprehensive Plan Committee co-chairs Hanna Cromie and Pat Winch are definitely still looking for more people to get involved.
Please contact either of them for more info.
7.
I am aware that several people have expressed a fervent desire for me to announce regular office hours.
They will be happy to hear that I will be spending more time in the town hall, now that I have established the foundation of a functional office.
In general, if people would like to meet with me, I would prefer that they make an appointment.
However, people should be able to see their town supervisor without an appointment. And, at least in Wilmington, they can: I will be holding open office hours for anyone who would like to speak with me without an appointment on Wednesdays, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
As usual, there’s plenty more I could add to this report, but I’m sure that’s more than enough for now.
Thank you for taking the time to read this report.
Sincerely,
Tim Follos