Hello Wilton!

It has been an eventful and exciting first week as your First Selectman, learning in depth about the opportunities and changes facing our town.  My term began on December 1, when I and many of our fellow citizens were sworn into offices across the town government, during a heartwarming ceremony at the Wilton Library.  It was a lively occasion, made more festive by the Wilton Boy Scouts Color Guard who opened the Swearing In, and the Girls Scouts, who sang ‘God Bless America’ to conclude the evening.  Thank you to all who made such an important event run smoothly and with so much spirit.

As I said in my remarks that evening, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to our outgoing Selectwoman, Lynne Vanderslice.  Over the course of eight years, she and her board met each challenge, particularly during the difficult Covid years, with courage and sound judgment.  I will do everything I can to continue her steady stewardship of Wilton.

As your First Selectman, I will focus on championing our award-winning schools and protecting our beautiful neighborhoods, while maintaining the strong fiscal management that is the legacy of our First Selectman and the Board of Selectmen.  And just as importantly, I will insist on a culture of civility and inclusivity that begins in Town Hall and extends throughout Wilton, so that our community always remains welcoming to all.

A great demonstration of this took place on December 2nd, when Wilton expanded its houses of worship with the groundbreaking of a new Church of the Latter Day Saints that will be built across the street from Town Hall.  At the groundbreaking ceremony, I asked the members of this Mormon Temple to say a prayer for us town employees as they go into worship on Sundays.  We are so glad that church members will no longer have to travel to Newtown for their services, but have chosen Wilton to build their new home, and we remain grateful for all that they’ve contributed to our community.

Marking its 17th year, the traditional Menorah Lighting will take place on December 11 on the Town Green at 5:30.  Please join us if you can.  Additionally, we are encouraging people to support the efforts of the Wilton Coalition to Combat Antisemitism and their initiative, Wilton Menorah.  This link will take you to the letter they recently printed in Good Morning Wilton.  It explains all about their work and how you can get involved.

In other town news, it is imperative that every resident understand the financial issues facing Wilton.  Property owners should expect a letter in the next few days that explains their new property revaluation.  These will likely be substantially higher than they were five years ago, as there are indications that many commercial property values have dropped, pushing higher costs onto private homeowners.

Moreover, a comprehensive study of our school facilities resulted in an estimated $100 million in repairs that may be required over the next 10 to 15 years.  An additional report on our municipal buildings and properties is due soon that could potentially add millions more to our expenditures.  A tour of Wilton’s Town Hall and other town owned buildings will show how necessary these updates are.

There are unique added stressors to undertaking these massive projects at this time:  1) Interest rates have climbed from 3% to 8%, making borrowing for capital projects more expensive; and, 2) Moody’s rating agency has informed Connecticut towns that instead of requiring municipalities to set aside 10% in reserve funds to earn a Triple A Rating, they are requiring that 25% to 35% in liquid assets be held in reserve (Please be kind to our Board of Finance members as they have a big job ahead of them this year.).  A tri-board meeting between the Board of Education, the Board of Selectmen, and the Board of Finance is expected in the new year to discuss how to fund and manage such a massive undertaking.  Click on this link to read an article written by Kathleen Rose Ozanic in Friday’s The Hour that explains, in detail, the challenges facing our schools’ capital funding.

Some exciting developments were discussed in our first Board of Selectmen meeting held on December 4th.  In order to create greater opportunity for new businesses to operate in Wilton, a motion was passed that would permit possible future breweries, who manufacture their products on site, and to have their hours match what is currently allowable for restaurants and package stores in town.  We welcome your input at the next public hearing to be held on December 19th, at 7pm, in Comstock Room 31, or you  may join us on Zoom.  The link will be posted on the town’s website in the coming days.  A final vote on the issue will be held at a Special Town Meeting on January 9th.

As you can see there is much happening in our beautiful town of Wilton, so I will end with a note to encourage you to continually check the town website for updates and news, and to click on each committee’s pages for greater detail on town goings on.  If you are interested in volunteering on a town committee, please click on this link to learn how to get started. 

Here are a couple of quick tips to keep you safe and informed as winter sets in:

Our Fire Chief reminds us that to properly dispose of your fireplace ashes, give them several days rest in your fireplace to make sure all of the sparks are out.  Then it’s safe to put them in a METAL container and place them outdoors ten feet from any building for two more days before finally disposing of them with the rest of your household trash.

Is your power out? Call 1-800-286-2000, or text “Out,” to 23129 from your cell phone. Or visit this link to the Eversource website to report the outage and receive information and instructions.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my community as your First Selectman.  We may have some daunting tasks and tight financial straits to navigate, but we also have great opportunity with a tremendous pool of bright, talented, committed Wiltonites who work hard every day to make our town the bright spot that it is.  I hope you’ll join us in our efforts to keep Wilton moving forward.  My door in Town Hall is always open and the coffee is always ready, so please stop by and introduce yourself.  If I haven’t met you already, I look forward to shaking your hand.

With warmest wishes,

Toni Boucher

First Selectman, Wilton