Council delays parking meter budget vote pending legal opinion

Town Council · Meeting of April 2, 2026

New Canaan Town Council stalls on $90,774 parking meter cut pending legal opinion. A council member moved to strip funding for additional Main Street parking meters from the proposed fiscal 2027 budget, arguing the town's off-street parking ordinance does not authorize on-street meters; the first selectman disputed that and said a town attorney opinion is coming before the council's April 14 budget vote. "I have a very clear legal right to do what we did to begin with," the first selectman said.

Another council member countered, "the town council voted unanimously for the installation of those parking meters by approving that budget last year." Separately, the roughly $119 million Board of Education budget remains $400,000 above the Board of Finance's $2 million reduction target. No public hearing speakers attended, and no budget vote was taken.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 871 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of April 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — April 2, 2026 — The New Canaan Town Council spent much of Thursday's budget session sparring over whether to strip $90,774 in Main Street parking meter funding from the proposed fiscal 2027 budget, with the town's first selectman defending the meters' legality and a formal town attorney opinion still pending.

Council Member Christina moved to cut the full amount allocated for new Main Street parking meters, arguing the town's off-street parking ordinance does not permit metered parking on Elm or Main streets. The first selectman disputed that reading and said she has already obtained an outside legal opinion supporting the meters, with a town attorney opinion expected before the council's scheduled April 14 budget vote. No vote was taken on the proposal Thursday.

The Full Story

The parking dispute dominated the three-hour discussion-only session, held ahead of the council's April 14 vote on the fiscal 2027 budget. Christina's motion targeted $90,774 budgeted for additional Main Street parking meters, saying the expense should not proceed while the underlying ordinance question is unresolved. She read from what she said was Section 41-2 of the town code, arguing it covers on-street metered parking, including Locust Street.

The first selectman said she reviewed the ordinance before the meters were installed and obtained a legal opinion supporting her position that the ordinance addresses only off-street lots. She said a written opinion from the town attorney would follow "very soon." A council member who reviewed the ordinance independently told colleagues she initially thought it applied to Elm and Main streets but, after rereading it, concluded it was silent on-street parking rather than prohibitive.

Council Member Kim argued the town should adopt a formal ordinance, with public notice and hearings, governing any future on-street metered parking, saying informal outreach to groups like the Rotary Club did not substitute for a public process. She also renewed a written request for the parking department to obtain informal, or "soft," bids from other self-insurance third-party administrators, noting the town's current administrator, Sigma, has held the contract for about 15 years.

Council Member Eric pushed back on the idea the meters were a surprise, noting the council approved the capital funding for the installation as part of last year's budget. Council Member Maria raised concerns about handicap accessibility to the free parking lot and said retailers have told her the meters are hurting business; the first selectman responded that disabled residents can park anywhere on Elm Street and pay through the town's app with no added time restriction. Christina said she has heard similar complaints from retailers and called for a more rigorous data-driven evaluation before any expansion to Main Street.

"I have a very clear legal right to do what we did to begin with. You may not like it. That is a totally different discussion." [no timestamp available] — First Selectman

"What I'm proposing is for future, for what's on Elm Street now, that there should be an ordinance in place where the public can weigh in on street parking that is metered or paid for." — Council Member Kim

"To say that there was anything of a surprise for anyone in this body about the parking meters going in on Elm Street is really hard to believe. The town council voted unanimously for the installation of those parking meters by approving that budget last year." — Council Member Eric

The council also reviewed the Board of Education's budget request, which the chairman put at roughly $119 million. The Board of Finance had sought $2 million in reductions but accepted a $1.6 million cut; Kim said she remains hopeful the district can close the remaining roughly $400,000 gap. The district's superintendent of schools told the council the school budget deliberately holds the out-of-district student placement line flat year over year despite per-placement costs rising more than 6 percent annually, by budgeting the full gross cost of those placements rather than the net cost after state excess-cost reimbursement, which instead flows into the town's general fund. No council member proposed a specific reduction to the education budget.

A public hearing on the fiscal 2027 budget drew no speakers.

Why It Matters

The unresolved parking dispute could shape the April 14 budget vote, since council members said the legal question of whether the meters are permitted under current ordinance is separate from whether the council chooses to fund them. Retailers and disabled-access concerns raised Thursday suggest the debate over Main Street's meters, first funded a year ago, is not settled even after installation.

On the larger budget, the roughly $119 million Board of Education request remains $400,000 above the $2 million reduction target the Board of Finance had sought, with council members awaiting further word from the superintendent before the April 14 vote.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approval of the March 24 and March 26, 2026 town council meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Vote on the proposed fiscal 2027 town budget, including the disputed $90,774 in Main Street parking meter funding — Continued to April 14, 2026

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Town Council meeting, April 2, 2026