New Canaan council hears board of finance cuts that trim FY2026 tax raise and capital requests

Todd LaViere, chair of the Board of Finance, told the Town Council on March 13 that the board met three goals in reviewing the selectmen’s FY2026 budget: reduce the property tax levy, trim capital spending and cut taxpayer‑supported capital. LaViere said the board reduced the amount to be raised by taxation by $4,100,000, cut capital spending by $4,800,000 and reduced taxpayer‑supported capital by $1,200,000 compared with the selectmen’s proposal.

The reductions came as LaViere and finance staff described where savings were found and what the board left in the package. “We reduced the amount raised by taxation by $4,100,000,” LaViere said. He identified bond premium revenue, cuts to capital asks and a $300,000 reduction from the Board of Education among the contributors to the change. Josh Kaufman, who led the staff budget review for the presentation, said the consolidated budget now shows a 3.56% year‑over‑year increase in…