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Town council members clash over Elm Street meters, call for ordinance review
Summary
Town council members on March 24 debated whether Elm Street parking meters were installed in accordance with town code, with critics saying the meters were implemented without a council presentation and supporters saying the program was publicly advertised and included in the bond resolution.
Town of New Canaan council members debated the legality and public-notice process for recently installed parking meters on Elm Street during the council's March 24 budget review.
Council member Kim Norton said the meters were “there without authorization” and that the installation bypassed the formal council presentation and public-hearing process required by the town's ordinances. Several colleagues echoed concerns that the town code—ordinance chapter 41, adopted in 1964—does not reflect current on-street parking practices and should be updated before expanding metering to other streets.
Town staff and the executive branch responded that the meter program was publicized through media outreach and included in the most recent bond resolution and budget cycle. Officials said some meter-related fees and transaction charges were reallocated from the central finance budget into departmental lines to better track revenue and expenses.
Council members sought clarity about specific costs: the capital request included eight parking machines on Main Street priced at $90,774, and parking-related operating lines showed increases tied to cellular data for meters and a ticketing/app fee structure that carries a small vendor percentage. Staff said some credit-card processing fees are passed through to users while other service fees appear in departmental expense lines.
The council did not vote on removing or adding meters at the meeting. Instead, members directed the bylaws and ordinances committee to review chapter 41 and relevant charter sections and bring proposed code updates back to the council prior to further on-street expansions. Council members also asked for a follow-up analysis of merchant impact and revenue/traffic turnover statistics after the Elm Street program has completed planned lot and ramp work and been allowed a period for evaluation.
Quotes in this story come from council and library presenters who spoke on the record at the March 24 meeting; unattributed descriptions reflect statements by town staff made during the discussion.
Next steps: the bylaws and ordinances committee will review ordinance language and report back to the full council; no immediate changes to Elm Street meters were approved at the March 24 meeting.
