Town of Jay EDC Meeting

The Town of Jay Economic Development Committee held our monthly meeting this week at the Community Center. The contract agreement has officially been signed to move forward, and the North Country Rural Development Coalition will soon be advertising the program and accepting project applications. We also discussed the recent announcement of a 60-unit affordable housing development in Ticonderoga, which sparked a conversation about similar development opportunities to address housing needs here in Jay. This meeting left me with a great deal of hope for the future of our town. You can view the full video of the meeting on our website: https://www.townofjayny.gov/meeting-minutes/#edminutes

 

AVCS Budget Workshop

I attended the AuSable Valley Central School budget workshop last night. There was an extensive discussion regarding the budget process, the tax cap, potential staff cuts, curriculum adjustments, and the relocation of the district office. With many moving parts to the AVCS budget this year, I strongly encourage you to join the conversation. The next budget workshop will be held in the Middle/High School auditorium on March 11th at 6:00 PM. Additionally, AVCS Superintendent Mike Francia will attend our Regular Monthly Board Meeting on March 12th at 7:00 PM at the Community Center to discuss the 2026-2027 school budget.

 

Intercounty Legislative Meeting

Yesterday, I attended the monthly Intercounty Legislative Meeting hosted by Essex County this month at the Lake Placid Conference Center. We received an update from the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) regarding the recent National Association of Counties (NACo) conference in Washington, D.C. A major focus was the reorganization of FEMA relief programs and how those changes might affect us. As federal programs face potential cuts, there is a significant shift toward state-level programs filling those gaps. We also reviewed how the Governor’s Budget may impact Essex County and our town. Finally, we discussed the rising cost of energy bills across the state; while there is limited action we can take at the local level, we will be closely monitoring developments at the state level.

 

Hope you have a great weekend,

Matt