Charter panel reviews conservation, treasurer article drafts
Other Committee · Meeting of March 19, 2026
New Canaan's Charter Revision Commission reviewed draft rewrites of the conservation and treasurer articles ahead of a May 4 report to the Town Council. Commissioners Kathleen Corbett, William "Bill" Peret and Jennifer Holm heard from Conservation Commission members Tom Kernan and Tom Herman on a proposal to grow the commission from five to seven members and lengthen terms from two to three years, plus new authority to seek grants and set sustainability reporting requirements. Herman said New Canaan could move from a bronze to silver state sustainability rating "just by submitting some documents." Town Treasurer Andrew, who has held the office since 2013, pushed back on language that could make him personally responsible for record-keeping, saying he has only read-only access to the town's Munis accounting system "by design." Commissioners agreed the treasurer should "ensure," not personally keep, financial records, citing a 1959 state statute, and added a review role for the annual financial report before state submission.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 849 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of March 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — March 19, 2026 — The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission spent a morning work session going line by line through proposed charter language for the Conservation Commission and the town treasurer's office, part of the town's decennial review of its governing charter.
Commissioners Kathleen Corbett, William "Bill" Peret and Jennifer Holm attended; Russell Kimmes was absent. The panel heard from Conservation Commission representatives Tom Kernan and Tom Herman on proposed changes to the commission's powers and duties, then reviewed a newly drafted, standalone charter article for the town treasurer with Treasurer Andrew, who has held the elected post since 2013.
The Full Story
Kernan and Herman walked commissioners through changes the Conservation Commission approved unanimously at its March 12 meeting, which would formally authorize the commission to advise the town on sustainability, resilience and environmental stewardship and would require more detailed annual reporting on metrics such as energy use, emissions, waste diversion and tree canopy coverage. The draft would also let the commission apply directly for conservation and sustainability grants and request, though not guarantee, its own budget line.
Herman said New Canaan is rated bronze under a state sustainability certification program and could reach silver largely by filing paperwork the town has not yet submitted. He also raised a broader concern that the commission's annual reports to the Town Council have no built-in mechanism for follow-up. Corbett and Peret said that gap is common across town boards and that the commission staff would draft a formal "advisement" on reporting accountability to share with the full charter panel. Separately, Kernan and Herman said they support a recommendation, attributed to resident Chris Shipper, to expand the five-member commission to seven and to lengthen terms from two years to three, pending confirmation that a three-year term is allowed under state statute.
The session then turned to the treasurer's office. Holm said the goal was to consolidate scattered references to the treasurer's powers, previously split between articles two and five, into one article reflecting the office's actual duties. Andrew asked that the treasurer be formally added as a recipient of financial reports circulated to the Town Council, Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen, saying he is not always looped in on issues affecting town finances. Commissioners also discussed conflict-of-interest language mirroring provisions already written for the town clerk, and confirmed that under the town's legal interpretation, the Town Council, as both the legislative body and budget authority, sets the treasurer's compensation.
Much of the discussion centered on a proposed "custodian of funds" clause. Andrew objected to language that could be read as making him personally responsible for maintaining town financial records, noting he has only read-only access to the town's Munis accounting system by design, for separation of duties, and no access at all to the Board of Education's separate Munis instance. Commissioners cited state statute dating to 1959 and settled on language requiring the treasurer to "ensure" records are kept rather than keep them personally. The panel also agreed to remove the word "sworn" from a required annual investment report and to change the treasurer's role in reviewing the town's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report from silent to an explicit, though non-binding, review before the report is submitted to the state.
Commissioners also discussed succession: allowing the treasurer to designate a deputy for temporary absences and having the Town Council appoint an interim treasurer, to serve until the next municipal election, if the elected treasurer becomes incapacitated.
"It just seems in today's day and age, with energy being such an important issue, that we could do more." — Tom Herman, Conservation Commission member
"Even when I travel, I've never taken a vacation from this job, because I don't have a backup." — Andrew, town treasurer
"The town council is a legislative body. If the conservation commission's annual report makes a recommendation that requires an ordinance change, they're the ones in charge of making that change." — Kathleen Corbett, Charter Revision Commission
Why It Matters
The charter is rewritten only once every 10 years, and even minor wording changes go before voters as ballot questions at the town's next election, alongside any substantive changes such as commission size or term length. The commission's May 4 report to the Town Council will trigger public hearings before any language is finalized. For the Conservation Commission, the outcome could mean an expanded seven-member board with three-year terms and a formal mandate to weigh in on sustainability and open-space decisions. For the treasurer's office, the changes would clarify who is accountable for the town's financial recordkeeping and how the office reviews the town's annual financial report before it goes to the state.
Key Motions & Votes
- Action: Charter Revision Commission adjourned the March 19 work session. Tally: Approved unanimously - No other formal votes taken at this meeting; the session was a working review of proposed charter language, with revisions to be circulated to the full Charter Revision Commission before any vote.
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Charter Revision Commission meeting, March 19, 2026