Several residents used the public-comment period at the Dec. 1 Clinton Town Board meeting to press the board on social and service issues.

Living wage: Rich Morris, of Hollow Road, asked the town to begin paying a living wage to all employees and criticized the terms of the upcoming union contract for not improving starting wages sufficiently. Morris said a $20 hourly starting wage “can’t afford to live in Clinton” and added he would be “proud to have my taxes raised to go towards that paying the living wage.” Board members acknowledged the comment but did not revise the contract during the meeting.

Food pantry: Morris and Lou Anne Panarotti, pastor of Pleasant Plains Presbyterian Church, described the town food pantry’s growth (Panarotti said 13–18 families now use the pantry per distribution) and urged formal town support. Panarotti said the pantry has acquired refrigeration and shelving and has become a food-bank-level operation that could use help with equipment and logistics; the town discussed ways to assist and offered to circulate community notices for assistance.

E-waste event: Speaker 2 reported a planned spring e-waste recycling event with a private company that will erase data and collect electronics; participation will be limited to town residents with proof of residency and logistics will be coordinated with the highway department.

Cell service and safety: Bill Dortis of Center Road described ongoing dead zones and poor cell reception in parts of town and recounted being trapped after an accident without reliable mobile contact. Dortis said a proposed local tower has not advanced and urged the town to press carriers; board members said they are contacting Verizon government services and Senator Hinchey’s office and that Verizon has said improvements are funded for 2026 but timing is uncertain.

Senior-exemption proposals: A resident (Speaker 8) urged the board to reconsider senior tax exemptions and proposed alternatives including updating or sunsetting outdated agricultural/forest exemptions, limiting the number of exemptions an individual or entity can claim, and cleaning up assessor records to free up dollars. The speaker said some exemptions can reach large reductions and urged administrative updates to identify potential savings before a blanket rejection of senior exemptions.

Board response and next steps: Board members acknowledged each concern: staff and elected officials said the NYSERDA/Highway bidding process will proceed, the clerk and highway staff will coordinate e-waste logistics, and the cell-coverage issue will continue to be pursued with carriers and elected representatives. The senior-exemption proposals were noted for administrative follow-up.