Livingston’s rapid residential and commercial development has outpaced the infrastructure supporting it. In certain neighborhoods, many single-family homes have grown from 1,500 to over 5,500 square feet. Major commercial developments are in the pipeline. This growth creates real consequences for residents today and must be managed proactively.
Action Items
- Develop a strategic, multi-year infrastructure plan that anticipates continued growth rather than reacting to it after the fact.
- Address flooding and storm water issues caused by new construction in existing neighborhoods, working with engineers and planners to implement drainage solutions.
- Audit sewer capacity and water quality to ensure that increased development is not silently degrading the systems all residents depend on.
- Prioritize traffic management and pedestrian safety, particularly in areas experiencing the highest density of new construction.
- Continue strengthening the community’s relationship with the Livingston Police Department, ensuring residents can live, learn, and worship safely.
What Is Going On Here?
Livingston residents should be alarmed by a consistent pattern: money is appropriated, studies are commissioned, committees do the work and then nothing happens. Projects that were approved and funded sit in limbo while the community waits. Stacey and Laurie will demand accountability for every dollar appropriated and push for concrete timelines and public updates on all stalled initiatives.
Department of Public Works Facility: 15 Years of Plans, Zero Action
Plans for a new DPW were drawn up and formally accepted in 2009 and again in 2010. That is not a recent oversight. That is fifteen years of inaction on an approved, planned project. The DPW is the backbone of municipal operations: road maintenance, snow removal, infrastructure repair, stormwater management. The men and women who keep Livingston running deserve a facility that is fit for purpose and treats them with the respect they so richly deserve. Residents also deserve a DPW that is properly equipped and housed. Neither group has gotten what was promised.
The question is simple: Plans were accepted in 2009 and 2010. Why has nothing been built? What happened to the plans? Where did the process break down and who is responsible for letting it stall?
Action Items
- Demand a full accounting: What were the 2009 and 2010 plans? What was the projected cost? Why was construction never initiated, and where does the project stand today?
- Assess whether the original plans are still viable or whether updated designs are needed given 15 years of growth, new building codes, changed operational requirements, and increased costs.
- Establish a realistic budget and funding path including available state and county infrastructure grants and bring a concrete proposal to residents with a real timeline.
- A modern, functional DPW facility is not a luxury, it is essential infrastructure. As Livingston grows and its roads, stormwater systems, and public spaces face greater demand, a hobbled DPW is a liability the entire town pays for.
Northland Pool Remediation (2023)
In 2023, the town commissioned a four-month study of the Northland Pool. The Livingston Pools Committee completed that study, developed its findings, and presented its recommendations publicly. That work represents real time and real resources invested by dedicated community volunteers and it deserves a real response from the council.
The question that has not been answered: What has the council done with those recommendations? Where does the remediation project stand, what is the timeline, and what is the budget? Residents funded this study and deserve to know what comes next.
Action Items
- Demand the council issue a formal status update on the Northland Pool remediation with a funded plan and a public timeline.
- Ensure the Pools Committee’s recommendations are fully reviewed, responded to, and acted upon, not shelved.
- Engage the community in the decision-making process, residents who use and care about Livingston’s pools should have a voice in what remediation looks like.
The Broader Pattern: Accountability for Every Appropriated Dollar
The DPW and Northland Pool are not isolated cases — they are symptoms of a council that approves projects and then moves on without ensuring follow-through. Stacey and Laurie will institute a simple standard: every appropriated project gets a public status update on a regular schedule. No more studies that disappear. No more negotiations without end dates. Livingston residents fund this government. They deserve to see results.
Livingston is changing rapidly, new homes, new businesses, new families, but our Town Council has not kept pace. One incumbent has served for 12 years. If re-elected, they would serve 16 years total. We must ask: what remains undone after 12 years on the council? What will be different in the next four?
Livingston residents deserve that answer and they deserve leaders who will actually show up. The current council is slow to act on infrastructure, and comfortable conducting the public’s business behind closed doors. It is time for new energy, new ideas, and new accountability.
Leadership that listens, shows up and delivers
Residents cannot engage with a government they can’t hear. Business conducted behind closed doors breeds distrust. Stacey and Laurie will make transparency and accessibility a cornerstone of their time in office and meet the community where they are.
Action Items
- Encourage residents to attend pre-council Conference Meetings to understand issues before votes are taken.
- Establish a recurring, published schedule of Town Hall type meetings covering key issues: building and zoning, infrastructure, the Library, recreation, water quality, the budget, affordable housing, and any upcoming referendums. A consistent time and format so residents can plan to attend.
- Revamp the town’s Facebook and Instagram pages to be timely, organized, and genuinely useful, not just photo albums and event announcements.
- Launch a “Welcome to Livingston” guide, a practical “How to Livingston” resource for new residents: where to register, how to engage, what services exist, and how town government works.
- Push for greater transparency around executive sessions.
- Ensure our streets are properly paved, maintained and safe for every resident, while taking real action to reduce noise pollution and protect the peace and quality of life in our community.
