Charter panel rejects easing finance board property rule

Other Committee · Meeting of April 20, 2026

New Canaan charter panel votes 7-3 to keep Board of Finance property rule. The Charter Revision Commission rejected a motion to drop the requirement that Board of Finance members own real estate in town, with commissioners Case, Jameson and Willet in favor and seven others opposed. Commissioner Kathleen called the rule "discriminatory" against renters, while commissioner Bill Perez warned that loosening it to cover "beneficial owners" through trusts or LLCs was "a very complicated point." The commission separately advanced a 12-year term-limit provision, with a one-term hiatus before reappointment, toward the ballot, and voted unanimously to keep the Parking Commission's existing powers over roughly 200-plus off-street spaces at sites like the town-owned lumber yard rather than adopt a proposed rewrite.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 951 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of April 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — April 20, 2026 — The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission voted 7-3 Monday to leave in place a requirement that Board of Finance members own real estate in town, rejecting a motion that would have sent the question back to voters for a second time in a decade.

The vote came during a marathon special meeting in which commissioners also advanced a 12-year term-limit provision for appointed boards toward the November ballot and voted unanimously to reject a proposed rewrite of the Parking Commission's powers, keeping that panel's authority over off-street lots unchanged except for a minor wording fix. The commission is working through what it called the first of four remaining sessions needed to finish its draft charter report.

The Full Story

Commissioner Angela moved to amend the charter so Board of Finance members would need only to be town electors, dropping the current requirement that they own real estate in New Canaan, the same change voters rejected when it last went to referendum roughly ten years ago. Commissioner Kathleen argued for eliminating the requirement outright, calling it discriminatory against renters. Commissioners Karen Burke and Angela agreed the rule was outdated. But commissioners Corbett, Holm, Jameson, Kimes, Lampert, Neville and Perez voted no, with only Case, Jameson and Willet voting yes, and the motion failed 7-3. Several commissioners, including Bill Perez, said they were open to a narrower fix allowing "beneficial owners," such as spouses whose names are not on a deed or people who hold property through a trust or LLC, but the commission did not adopt new language Monday.

Commissioners separately took up unresolved language on the 12-year term-limit provision for appointed boards and commissions, which the panel had approved in an earlier session. Monday's vote added detail allowing an officeholder who reaches the 12-year cap mid-term to finish that term, and requiring a one-term absence before reappointment to the same board. The measure carried on a roll-call vote, though several individual tallies were difficult to make out in the recording; commissioners said the provision, along with the underlying 12-year limit, is headed for the ballot.

The commission also rejected a proposed rewrite of the Parking Commission's powers and duties section, choosing instead to keep the existing language largely as written, with only a grammatical trim to one paragraph. Commissioners Corbett, Holm, Jameson, Kimes, Lampert, Paulo, Perez and Willet voted yes, and the result was declared unanimous. Several commissioners said parking has become the town's most contentious issue, tied to the Elm Street lot's loss of restaurant overflow parking and to the future of the town-owned lumber yard, which one commissioner estimated holds 200 to 240 spaces. The panel agreed to add language letting the Parking Commission weigh in on any future "use" changes to town-owned lots, not just rule changes, but did not finalize wording.

Commissioners also tabled, for lack of a full quorum of engaged members, a proposed change to how the town appoints Audit Board members, and debated at length whether the Board of Finance should simply "receive" or also "approve" the town's annual audit report before it goes to the state. Bill Perez, drawing on his own prior town service, argued the audit function needs to stay independent of the offices it reviews.

"I did internal audits every single year in addition to the required audits because I found out so much I didn't know and no one else knew and we corrected it and we moved on. But it should be separate from my office and I still feel that way." — Bill Perez, commissioner

"I believe that it's discriminatory. I do not believe that it would be held up in a court of law. I think it discriminates unfairly against renters." — Commissioner Kathleen

Why It Matters

The commission's rejection of the Board of Finance change means the current property-ownership requirement stays in the draft charter that will eventually go to voters, unless the panel revisits it in a future session. The term-limit language, once finalized, would apply to appointed members of most town boards and commissions, capping service at 12 consecutive years with a mandatory one-term break before reappointment. The parking debate reflects a live dispute over control of off-street lots as the town weighs redevelopment of sites like the lumber yard, potentially for affordable housing, with commissioners flagging the loss of hundreds of parking spaces as a coming flashpoint.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve minutes of the April 13 and April 14 special meetings and public hearing Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Amend charter to drop the real estate ownership requirement for Board of Finance members, requiring only elector status Tally: For: 3, Against: 7, Abstain: 0, Total: 10 — motion failed; existing property-ownership requirement remains

- Vote: Adopt term-completion and one-term reappointment hiatus language for officeholders who reach the 12-year term limit Tally: For: 6, Against: 5, Abstain: 1, Total: 12 (roll call partly inaudible in the recording); motion declared carried

- Vote: Retain existing Parking Commission powers-and-duties language, with a minor grammatical edit to paragraph six, rejecting a proposed rewrite Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Whether the Town Council alone, rather than jointly with the Board of Selectmen, should appoint Audit Board members — Tabled pending fuller attendance at a future meeting
• Action: Reduce required documentation for Audit Board term limits by aligning them with the commission's general 12-year standard — Tabled for further drafting
• Action: Change Conservation Commission board member terms from two years to three years — approved by consensus, no formal roll-call vote taken

Source

Town Of New Canaan: New Canaan Charter Revision Commission special meeting, April 20, 2026