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Commission told charter language should clarify reporting requirements for town-funded organizations
Summary
Section 5-30 of the charter requires recipients of town funds to keep records and submit annual reports for audit, but CFO Anne Kelly Lenz and commissioners said the practical ownership and enforcement of those reporting duties (which departments receive and audit those reports) is unclear and needs revision.
New Canaan — Commissioners reviewing Article 5 flagged §5-30, the charter clause that requires entities receiving town funds to keep receipts, submit annual reports in a form prescribed by the board of selectmen, and provide records for audit.
Anne Kelly Lenz said the town does receive financial statements and grant reports in practice, but oversight approaches vary by program: some reports reach the department that granted the funds rather than central finance. "I would need to come back" on which department owns follow-up for all grant recipients, Lenz said, adding that many subrecipients’ records are reviewed by auditors when they are grant-funded.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the charter language currently presumes a single path for submission and audit review that does not reflect practice. They asked staff to identify which entities (library, EMS, playhouse, third-party contractors) routinely submit reports, where those reports are stored, and how auditors can access them.
Clarifying detail: The commission noted examples — library, EMS, daycare, Avalon/Riverwood-related affordable housing projects — as likely candidates for clearer reporting requirements.
What’s next: Staff will inventory grant recipients and typical reporting lines and propose precise charter language or a supporting ordinance to ensure recipients’ reporting obligations and the town’s audit access are clear.
Quoted: "We track your expenditures through Munis, so we see that anyway," Lenz said, describing how some subrecipient flows are already visible in the town financial system.
End note: The commission did not change charter language at the meeting; it asked for follow-up documentation and proposed redraft language.
