FROM THE MAYORS OFFICE: Work in Progress

Part of the role of being a Trustee on the Village Board are the responsibilities of an elected office but also appointments to act as a liason or certain tasks in different areas of municipal oversight. From this focus and attention come many things: new policy, stronger outreach, legislation. These actions are happening behind the scenes and are usually a coordinated effort with the Clerk’s Office, the Mayor’s Office or department heads as well as consultants. When an initiative comes to the Board at a meeting it is usually after many months of hard work, fact finding and development into a form that may become local law or written policy. This is a deliberate process which is a constant and the mechanism of government. Over time I’ve had the pleasure of working with so many different Board members and watched how an idea can spark the creation of local law or the betterment of governance.

The current Village Board is working on many initiatives. Deputy Mayor Cheney is working on LED streetlight conversion, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, Well #3 as well as Union Contract negotiations and Comp Plan Chairman. Trustee Bachman has been working on the development of the Certified Local Government Program that will give greater structure to our Architectural Review Board as well as opening up funding opportunities. Trustee Foster as liaison to Parks and Recreation is organizing the Veteran’s Memorial Park Master Plan Committee and has served on the Comprehensive Master Plan Committee. Trustee McKnight has been working on the creation of an Environmental Advisory Board and has also been working on the Climate Smart Communities initiative with Trustee Bachman. He also served on the Comprehensive Master Plan Committee.

These are a few of the tasks that your elected Board have been working on. I’m proud of their drive and initiative. I believe the success of our Village is due to this work that is often unseen. That work ethic permeates the entire staff and as much innovation comes from the Clerk’s Office, the Treasurer’s Office, Water Billing, the Department of Public Works as well as Building and Planning.

So this is a snapshot of local government. It’s not perfect and sometimes it seems there is so much work to do but most importantly it holds the responsibilities of service as a foundation to making a better, stronger community.

The next Village Board Meeting is Monday, August 15, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street, Warwick, NY.