Council confirms housing pick, presses audit on reporting lines
Town Council · Meeting of February 25, 2026
New Canaan council presses audit committee on who it answers to. The Town Council unanimously confirmed Marilyn Bir Hullet as the Housing Authority's resident commissioner for a term running to April 30, 2030, and heard from audit subcommittee chair Bill Bradley that the town's first internal audit since 2018 found nine issues in its procurement process, five accepted by management, one already fixed, one disputed. Council member Christina Ross said she found it "curious" the findings go to the Board of Selectmen rather than the council.
A financial update from Ryan Stacy showed revenue at 96.3 percent of budget and tax collections at 99.8 percent through late February. Members also flagged an untested 8-30g loophole behind a 14 unit Parade Hill development and previewed a near final gas powered leaf blower ordinance, with Eric Tunham citing roughly 100 emails on the topic and council member Jennifer warning against further delay.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,025 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of February 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — February 25, 2026 — The New Canaan Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to confirm Marilyn Bir Hullet as the town's resident commissioner on the Housing Authority board, while a council member pressed the town's new internal audit committee on why its findings are being routed to the Board of Selectmen rather than the council that created the committee by ordinance.
The council also heard a midyear financial update showing town revenue running at 96.3 percent of its fiscal 2026 budget through January, with current tax collections already at 99.8 percent of budget as of Wednesday. Committee chairs previewed a near-final draft ordinance on gas powered leaf blowers and flagged a newly surfaced legal loophole affecting a proposed affordable housing development on Parade Hill.
The Full Story
Boy Scout Troop 31 opened the meeting by leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Council member Eric Tunham, an Eagle Scout alumnus of Troop 70, welcomed the four scouts and thanked them for their community service before the council took up its regular business.
Members approved the minutes of the January 21 regular meeting and the February 9 public hearing and special meeting without amendment, then voted to move the financial update ahead on the agenda to accommodate presenters waiting online. The council then confirmed Bir Hullet's appointment as resident commissioner to the Housing Authority, a position required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, for a five year term ending April 30, 2030. Bir Hullet, a Cowell Banker real estate agent who has lived in New Canaan roughly 30 years, told the council she plans to focus on tenant communication and safety across the town's Millport Avenue area housing complexes.
Bill Bradley, chair of the audit committee's internal audit subcommittee, gave the council an update on a lengthy review of the town's procurement to pay process, the first internal audit conducted since 2018. The accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen, which Bradley referred to as CLA, interviewed 16 to 18 town staff members and produced nine findings and recommendations. Bradley said town management agrees with five of the nine, has already mitigated one, disagrees with one, and has a qualified agreement on two others tied to resource or time constraints. He said the subcommittee still needs a public meeting with the town's finance team before finalizing its recommendations.
Council member Christina Ross challenged the reporting structure of the process.
"The town council set up the audit committee by ordinance because we felt that we didn't have the expertise in that line of work. And I find it curious that your committee is reporting to the board of selectmen and not to us." — Christina Ross, town council member
Bradley responded that the audit findings have not been presented to the Board of Selectmen or the first selectman, and that his committee has worked directly with the town's finance staff, not elected boards.
In the financial update, town officials Ryan Stacy and Kelly Lent reported overall revenue of roughly $168.8 million through January, building permit revenue of $669,000 (down $170,000 from last year), conveyance fees of $1.3 million and parking permit revenue of $778,000. Overall expenses stood at $92.6 million, or 51.1 percent of the annual budget. Officials fielded questions on the town's self insured medical and dental plan, which is run through an internal service fund with roughly $7.6 million budgeted for health and security benefits, including about $6.5 million for stop loss coverage.
Committee reports touched on a near final draft ordinance restricting gas powered leaf blowers, expected to reach the full council after a Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m. Tunham said he has received roughly 100 emails on the topic and that, anecdotally, most residents he has spoken with oppose new restrictions.
"The majority of the people that I speak to are not in favor of the leaf blower ban or restrictions as it has potentially been drafted by the committee." — Eric Tunham, town council member
A council member identified as Jennifer pushed back, arguing the council should finish the ordinance and hold its required public hearing rather than delay further.
"I just wouldn't kick this can down the road anymore. It's never going to go away. So let's bring it to a head." — Jennifer, town council member
The Affordable Housing Committee reported it is preparing community outreach on three town owned sites eyed for 100 percent affordable housing, with more subcommittee meetings expected in March and April. Members also discussed a 14 unit development proposed for Parade Hill under an untested provision of the state's 8-30g affordable housing statute, which the town's attorneys say has never been applied in Connecticut before. Officials said the proposal, of which five units would be designated as assisted housing, would not affect the town's existing housing moratorium obligations but underscores what one member called a legislative gap needing a fix.
Why It Matters
The audit committee's findings on procurement, once finalized, will shape how New Canaan buys goods and services and manages vendor payments, an area untouched by internal review since 2018. Ross's question about reporting lines goes to who holds that committee accountable. On the housing front, the Parade Hill proposal is a test case for how far a narrow state law loophole can go in a town already operating under an affordable housing moratorium, with implications for how future developments count toward the town's obligations. The leaf blower ordinance, in development for years, is nearing a public hearing and vote in the coming months, and the council's budget season begins with public hearings the first week of March.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of minutes for the January 21, February 9 public hearing and February 9 special meetings Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Amend the agenda to move the financial update to item four Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Confirm Marilyn Bir Hullet as Housing Authority resident commissioner for a term ending April 30, 2030 Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjourn the meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Town Council meeting, February 25, 2026