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Selectmen press for cuts, defer high‑cost school audio system and trim capital asks
Summary
Board members pushed for deeper operating trims to avoid a 6.2% tax increase, agreed to pause a proposed $1.4 million school audio/announcement system for the year, and voted to reduce the district painting line to $100,000 and remove high‑school carpeting from this year's capital list.
During its Jan. 29 session the New Canaan Board of Selectmen pressed staff and the Board of Education to pare capital and operating requests to reduce pressure on taxpayers and the draft 6.2% tax increase. Several members characterized the proposed audio/announcement system for the schools as a "nice to have" that should be deferred while enrollment‑driven facility changes remain uncertain.
Speaker 2 and other board members urged staff (Brian) to take the PA/system proposal to the Board of Finance if it is essential, but the Selectmen agreed to remove it from this year’s packet and asked staff to prepare an itemized, line‑by‑line justification should the Board of Finance later consider restoring the item. Speaker 1 proposed reducing the district painting line to $100,000 and removing carpeting at the high school from the tax‑funded capital list; the board agreed those trims during the session.
Board members repeatedly emphasized the tension between supporting high‑quality school services and the fiscal strain on long‑term taxpayers, including retirees and fixed‑income households. On staffing, the board discussed difficulties recruiting a junior engineer (the posted salary package was presented as about $100,000 plus benefits) and whether to delay hiring the junior engineer and a purchasing agent for six months to realize near‑term savings (staff estimated a half‑year delay of both hires could save roughly $100,000).
