A high school student could soon join Stanford Town Board meetings as a nonvoting adviser under a plan approved by the board Thursday, pending participation by the Pine Plains Central School District.
The Town Board voted Aug. 13 to establish a one-year student advisory position intended to bring a younger perspective into town government and introduce students to public-service careers. The student would attend board meetings, participate in discussions, and provide input on issues affecting young people, but would have no voting power or statutory authority.
The initiative was proposed by former Stanford Supervisor Wendy Burton, who chairs the workforce development committee of the New York Association of Towns. Burton said the idea grew from a broader concern about attracting a new generation to municipal government, where towns can struggle to find people interested in positions including assessor, town clerk, building inspector, and code enforcement officer.
“We are aging out,” Burton said in an interview with the Herald. “Not so much our town board currently, because it’s a young board, but the regular meat-and-potato jobs in a town, like assessor, town clerk, deputy town clerk, building inspector, code enforcer.”
Burton said the association has already worked with SUNY colleges to develop microcredential programs intended to introduce people to municipal work. She began considering whether similar outreach could start earlier, at the high school level.
The student adviser could also give the Town Board a perspective it rarely receives during its regular meetings, Burton said.
“I just think it would be tremendous benefit to the town, because we don’t hear from those kids,” Burton said.
Students from Pine Plains High School occasionally attend municipal meetings as part of coursework, Burton said, but generally observe rather than participate. Under the proposed program, the student adviser would be encouraged to raise concerns shared by classmates and other young residents while learning how town government operates.
Burton said she also envisions a mentorship component in which the student could spend time with officials and employees throughout Town Hall to learn about different municipal jobs.
Under the motion approved by the Town Board, the student must be a current high school student who lives within the Pine Plains Central School District. Priority would be given to Stanford residents, although the position would not be limited to students who live in town.
The Town Board would formally appoint the student by majority vote. The adviser would serve for one year and could be reappointed while still eligible.
The Pine Plains school district has not yet formally approved its participation. Burton said she is scheduled to present the proposal at the Board of Education’s Sept. 15 meeting. She said school officials have expressed enthusiasm about the idea.
Burton hopes the Stanford pilot could eventually expand to other municipalities in the Pine Plains district and, ultimately, provide a model for towns elsewhere in New York.
The student initiative was one of several matters taken up by the board Thursday.
The board also introduced a proposed local law that would preserve its ability to exceed the state property-tax cap while officials prepare a 2027 budget facing increases in several major expenses.
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
Supervisor Julia Descoteaux stressed that introducing the law does not mean the town intends to exceed the tax cap.
“We’re doing this out of an abundance of caution,” Descoteaux said.
Employee health insurance premiums are projected to increase by 11.6%, transfer station costs by about 30%, and ambulance costs by approximately 13% without a proposed regional consolidation, Descoteaux said. Fuel expenses are also increasing.
The town is exploring whether it could handle its own solid-waste transportation as a potential way to reduce costs.
Descoteaux said Stanford’s finances remain on track, with the Recreation Department, Building Department, and Town Court exceeding revenue projections. Town officials are scheduled to hold budget workshops Sept. 24, Sept. 29, and Oct. 5.
In other business, the board approved spending $19,400 on a two-boiler replacement system for the Highway Department after its existing boiler failed in May.
The board also approved $4,216 for bronze plaques honoring Stanford’s Purple Heart recipients.
Superior Signs of Hopewell Junction will produce the plaques for $3,866 and install them for $350. The project will be covered by a $6,000 Dutchess County grant secured by Town Clerk Ritamary Bell.
One plaque is planned for the Bangall Veterans Memorial and another for Town Hall. The town plans to unveil the memorial on Nov. 11.
The board also appointed Jennifer Kipp to the Board of Assessment Review and Brooke Brown to the Zoning Commission.
Separately, Stanford officials are continuing discussions with neighboring towns and Empress Emergency Medical Services over a potential four-town ambulance consolidation.
Descoteaux said the municipalities still need to determine how costs would be divided and where ambulance units would be stationed.
Stanford recorded 40 EMS calls in July, 25 of which were answered by the town’s dedicated Empress unit. Ten were priority-one calls, including four with response times longer than 10 minutes. Descoteaux said the town reviews detailed response data with Empress and that the longer response times were considered appropriate based on the locations of those calls.
Officials also reiterated concerns about traffic safety as the state repaves Route 82 through Stanford. The town plans to add speed-limit signs to existing flashing signs and is continuing to seek residents for a neighborhood safety committee that could identify problem areas and advocate for traffic-calming measures.