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Canaan Budget Committee recommends most warrant articles, creates new fire equipment reserve and schedules Jan. 15 meetings
Summary
The Canaan Budget Committee on Jan. 13, 2026 recommended approval for most town warrant articles including a $6.38 million general-fund appropriation, approved creating a Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund and proposed transferring $589,142.69 from an existing reserve; final recommendations will be decided at a special meeting and public hearing Jan. 15.
The Canaan Budget Committee on Jan. 13, 2026 recommended approval of most town warrant articles and approved creating a new Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund while scheduling a special meeting and public hearing for Jan. 15 to finalize recommendations.
Finance Director Cariann Zandell briefed the committee on the General Fund appropriation request of $6,376,757 and a default budget of $6,516,199, noting that the only staff salary cost-of-living adjustment included in the default budget is for the police under contract. The committee recommended Article 2 (General Fund appropriation) by a 7-1 vote, with Dan Collins recorded as opposed.
The committee recommended Article 3 (water and sewer appropriations of $381,860.72) by 7-1, Article 4 (Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund, $169,000) by 8-0, Article 5 (Highway Capital Road Reconstruction CRF, $229,240) by 7-1, and Article 6 (Transfer Station special revenue account, $7,500) by 8-0. Article 7 (Government Buildings CRF, $96,000) was recommended 6-1-1 (Dan Collins opposed; Robert Souza abstained).
Committee members discussed EMS capital needs and regional service provision; Article 8 (EMS Capital Reserve Fund, $112,000) was recommended 6-2 (Dan Collins and Robert Souza opposed). Article 10 (create Fire Equipment Capital Reserve Fund and appropriate $175,100) was recommended 7-1 (Collins opposed). The committee agreed to discontinue the existing Fire Truck Capital Reserve Fund and add a new Article 11 authorizing a transfer of $589,142.69 from the existing reserve into the General Fund and then into the newly created Fire Department Equipment Reserve Fund; the committee will take a formal recommendation on that new Article 11 at a special meeting on Jan. 15 prior to the Public Hearing.
Article 12 (Police Capital Reserve Fund, $70,000) was recommended unanimously, 8-0. Article 13 (Bridge Capital Reserve Fund, $69,920) was recommended 7-1 (Collins opposed). Members reviewed petition articles including exemptions for disabled and veterans; the committee agreed to change the first sentence of Article 15 to replace the word "elderly" with "disabled" and noted that several petition warrant articles lacked clarity and carry potential tax implications, so recommendations on those petitions were deferred to the Jan. 15 special meeting.
Procedural business included approving remote participation for Tom Duplinsky (motion by Sadie Wells, seconded by Chair Sal Percia) and approving the Dec. 18, 2025 minutes (motion by Sadie Wells, seconded by Robert Souza; vote 7-0-1 with Collins abstaining). Sadie Wells moved, seconded by Dan Collins, to table Warrant Articles 21–25 (West Central — Advanced Transit); that motion passed 8-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM.
The committee scheduled a special meeting at 5:00 PM on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 to finish warrant-article recommendations, followed by the Public Hearing at 6:00 PM the same evening. The Jan. 15 times are confirmed in the meeting minutes; one line in the minutes contained a typographical year error listing 2025, which has been corrected to 2026 for scheduling clarity.
