New Canaan selectmen approve proposed $186.9 million FY26‑27 budget, forward to Board of Finance

On Jan. 29 the New Canaan Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to approve and forward the proposed fiscal‑year 2026‑27 general fund operating budget, totaling $186,928,403, to the Board of Finance for further review.

Speaker 1 read the packet’s headline figures: town department operating $43,521,453; Board of Education operating (including health insurance) $118,283,765; Board of Education expenses paid by the town $5,679,221; tax‑funded capital $1,436,493; debt service $12,834,742; contingencies $722,789; and a proposed fund‑balance contribution of $5,000,000. The amount to be raised by taxation in the draft budget is $172,665,942. The board approved those numbers on motions and seconds recorded on the public record as unanimous.

The board stressed the numbers are preliminary and may change as the packet moves to the Board of Finance. “The amount to be collected through taxation is at 6.2% year over year, which is not a sustainable number,” Speaker 1 said during review, urging the Board of Finance and Town Council to seek reductions. Members pointed to several levers staff and the Board of Finance can still use, including bond premium timing, potential tax‑supported capital re‑timing and insurance line management.

Action items approved during the meeting included forwarding the proposed general fund budget to the Board of Finance, approving the sewer fund package totaling $2,022,477 and approving other fund budgets (recreation, parking, railroad, Waveny pool and related funds). The board recorded a unanimous vote on each motion.

Next steps: the packet will be considered by the Board of Finance under the town charter; board members and staff indicated they expect to identify additional reductions before final mill‑rate adoption.