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New Canaan finance board cites headcount discrepancy, schedules Thursday vote after heated public comment
Summary
The Board of Finance disclosed a headcount/accounting discrepancy that it says added staff and costs, asked the superintendent to trim the New Canaan Public Schools request by $2 million, and postponed a final vote to Thursday after dozens of parents and residents urged the board not to cut school funding.
The chair of the New Canaan Board of Finance told residents the town still needs $173,000,000 to pay bills and said the board had uncovered a headcount discrepancy that added staff and costs to the New Canaan Public Schools budget.
"We still need a $173,000,000," the Chair said, adding that approved budgets had requested roughly 21 additional staff positions over a prior period but that actual headcount rose by 51. The Chair said that discrepancy added an estimated $2.5 million in salary costs this year and about $10 million over the period under review, and described the issue as a transparency and process problem rather than fraud. The board said it will implement a new headcount-tracking process going forward.
The Board of Finance said it had asked the superintendent to shave about $2 million from a roughly $4.5 million requested operating increase (a net 1.6 percent reduction relative to the requested increase)…
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