Wilton - Where You Belong… and Why We Love It Here
It seems that many people love Wilton, judging by our grand list, which grew by a whopping $75 million this past year. This data speaks to the town’s growing value and why people are paying premium real estate prices to live here. Newcomers constantly tell us how much they love Wilton’s village charm, its wooded hills, its historic buildings, and its top ranked school system.
Wilton is also known for ASML, a world leader in precision optics, lithography and advanced precision manufacturing. They are also a key player in semi-conductor fabrication.
Wilton’s Niche National Ranking
Niche, the online data company whose platform ranks America’s best schools and communities, further proved our desirability when they gave Wilton an A+ rating and awarded our Town a ‘Best Places Seal’ for 2025, noting our excellent schools and family living environment. Wilton High School was listed in the top five of public high schools in Connecticut, and Wilton overall rated in the top ten Best Suburbs to Raise a Family in the state.
Annual Town Meeting
Of course, such achievements require investment by the residents of our Town. In just a few short weeks, the voters of Wilton will determine what level of services will be provided for its residents during the next fiscal year. Unlike some municipalities, Wilton has a “town meeting” form of government where, instead of a town council determining the budget, residents who are eligible to vote cast the final decision. We encourage you to exercise your authority on May 6th, at 7pm, at the Clune Center.
Negotiations during this budget cycle were often challenging, with some issues causing protracted debate. We were fortunate that as animated discussions progressed, two sources of good news helped mitigate an unanticipated spike in costs. The first was that our grand list was assessed at $75 million more than last year. The second was that our $1.2 million reimbursement from the State of Connecticut for the Miller Driscoll School construction, a project that was completed in 2017, had finally been
deposited into the Town’s account. After lengthy consultation with our Bond Counsel, it was determined that this money could pay off bond debt, which created an opportunity for new building projects to be considered for bonding.
Bond List
Last year, the Town began to address the essential, and long delayed, school and town building repair and maintenance needs, with a 15-year building improvement plan. Much of the infrastructure and equipment that must be replaced has reached its end of life, with spare parts no longer available. This includes equipment our schools and Town departments require in order to function. It’s these items that comprise this year’s bond list, which has been approved by the Board of Selectmen. It stands to reason that when repairs are delayed, the costs for addressing the problems becomes more expensive. But with debt service maturing off Wilton’s books (meaning debts and their interests have been fully paid) there should be no net increase to what Wilton currently pays in annual debt service fees. The following items will be under consideration by voters at the May 6th Annual Town Meeting:
DPW Large Truck/Plow/Sander for Snow Removal: $33,000
High School Library Roof Replacement: $2,000,000
Cider Mill School Chilled Water Unit Replacement and Equipment and Piping: $1,547,678
Middlebrook School Replacement of Floor and Ceiling Tiles and Lighting: $1,646,314
Please Note: This project will be split between two fiscal years. $667,236 will pay for work done in FY26, and $979,078 will pay for the remainder in FY27.
Schools Drainage, Sidewalks and Paving: $4725,000
Middlebrook Exhaust Fan Replacement: $373,000
Middlebrook School Gym HVAC
Turf Replacement at Fujitani Field: $700,000
Restoration of the Historic Raymond Ambler House at Ambler Farm: $1,286,618
Welcome Kelsey Locher
Kelsey Locher joined the Wilton Senior Center team last month as the Senior Programs & Social Services Coordinator. Kelsey is a born and raised Wiltonian and has years of experience in public service programing, most recently as the Director of the After School Programming at Wilton’s Park and Recreation Department. She received her Bachelors in Communications from Central Connecticut State University in 2022. Kelsey has a wide range of interests that she hopes she can share with the senior community. She is beyond excited to join the Senior Center, as she loves to meet new people, learn new things, and lend a helping hand.
A Better Chance Visits Town Hall
I recently spent a few afternoons with some exceptional young ladies who are Scholars with Wilton’s A Better Chance residency program, as part of their Career Exploration project. A Better Chance is a national organization that hosts secondary students from underserved communities in more privileged areas where they can attend top private and public high schools. A local chapter was founded in Wilton in 1996. At least 53 of its alumni have gone on to four-year colleges and graduate schools, but they have left an indelible mark on our town, sharing their talents, perspectives and dedication to achievement while they were here. It has been such an honor and a delight to hear these students’ stories and share with them my experiences in business, public service and family life. Over hot chocolate and cookies, we discussed what a rewarding journey it is to be a woman building a life and a career in today’s complex world. I look forward to all the great things this crew will do with their futures.
Wilton Police Recognition
Along with our great Fire Department and widely honored CERT teams, the Wilton Police Department was recently awarded a Connecticut State Tier III Accreditation Status by the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council. This is the highest level achievable in Connecticut for police agencies.
To read Toni Boucher's update in its entirety, visit https://www.wiltonct.gov/