New Canaan Council ratifies police, fire contracts, advances bonds

Town Council · Meeting of April 22, 2026

New Canaan Town Council ratifies four-year police and fire contracts, approves roughly $15 million in 2027 bonds. The council unanimously ratified deals with the police union and IAFF Local 3224, both running July 2025 through June 2029, with raises averaging under 3 percent annually per negotiator Chris Hodgson. Member Kim Norton forced line-item votes on capital bonds and cast the lone "no" on a $225,000 bond for affordable-housing parking-lot studies, which passed 8-1.

A $1 million library bond, contested by Norton over process, also passed after colleague Hillary Armand called the objection "shocking and really offensive." The council voted 7-1 to restore the parking commission's authority to hear citation appeals. More than a dozen residents, including Jane Horowitz and Irene Hendrickx, urged tighter restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers; the council debated but did not vote on amendments, deferring to a May 5 committee meeting.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,071 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of April 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — April 22, 2026 — The New Canaan Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to ratify four-year labor contracts with the town's police and fire unions and approved roughly $15 million in bond authorizations for 2027 capital projects, after a lengthy debate over a $1 million library bond and a $225,000 affordable-housing parking study.

The council also voted 7-1 to restore the parking commission's authority to hear citation appeals, a fix identified by the Charter Review Commission, and spent more than an hour hearing public comment on a proposed ban on gas-powered leaf blowers before deferring further work on that ordinance to a Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting May 5.

The Full Story

Council Chair Mike Morrow opened the meeting by reordering the agenda to move labor agreements ahead of public comment. Cheryl Jones, who presented the agreements on the town's behalf, told the council the police and fire contracts carry raises below 12 percent over four years, with a 95 percent co-insurance rate in the contract's final year. Attorney Chris Hodgson, the town's labor negotiator, said the deals average slightly under 3 percent annually, below what he called "many towns" have recently agreed to pay. Fire Chief John Frederico, Police Chief Abby Bassett and Assistant Chief William Parrot attended in support. The council ratified both the New Canaan Police Union/Fraternal Order of Police contract and the New Canaan Fire Union, IAFF Local 3224 contract, both covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2029, without dissent.

Roughly a dozen residents spoke during public comment, nearly all in support of restricting gas-powered leaf blowers, citing noise, air pollution and worker health. Speakers included Lars Anderson, Victor Alvarez, Peter Wyman, Avin Phillips, Leslie Cammer, Irene Hendrickx and Jane Horowitz, who spoke by phone. Several urged the council to reinstate language, dropped from an earlier draft, limiting residential gas blower use to hard or man-made surfaces.

The council then turned to the 2027 capital bond package, itemized from a five-year capital plan approved two weeks earlier. After council member Kim Norton objected to voting on all appropriations as a single motion, the council agreed to vote line by line. It approved bonds ranging from $50,000 for information technology to $1.615 million for fire equipment, $2.245 million for town buildings and roughly $4.8 million for Department of Public Works administration and engineering, all without dissent. An amendment to strip a $170,000 vehicle purchase from the parks appropriation failed before the underlying $945,000 parks bond passed.

The $1 million library bond, intended to help the library secure state and preservation grants for renovating its 1913 building, drew the sharpest exchange. Norton questioned why the town council learned that the appropriation had grown from an initially discussed $500,000-per-year split to a single $1 million ask without additional project detail. Council member Hillary Armand called the objection, raised after the budget's approval, "distasteful" and said it was unfair to the library. Finance staff clarified the town bonds in arrears and would not issue debt beyond what is actually spent. The library bond ultimately passed.

Norton also raised concerns about a $225,000 bond for engineering work tied to an affordable-housing committee study of three town-owned parking lots, saying the parking commission had not endorsed using the lots for housing. Her motion to strike the funding failed, and the underlying appropriation passed 8-1, with Norton opposed.

"I find this shocking and really offensive. We voted on the budget last week, and you are now coming back and telling people who've had no notice that you are going to argue against what we approved." — Hillary Armand, Town Council member

"I will vote in the affirmative with gratitude to all of your extraordinary concern about our community and our safety." — Penny Young, Town Council member

"Quite literally, spending time outdoors in the summer here in New Canaan has become less peaceful than living near an active military airfield with fighter jets overhead." — Jane Horowitz, resident

Why It Matters

The bond votes commit New Canaan to roughly $15 million in new borrowing for 2027, covering everything from a $1.615 million fire-apparatus purchase to school vehicle replacements and a $1 million library commitment tied to outside grant applications. Norton's push for line-item votes and her questions about bonding short-lived assets signal a closer council review of capital spending going forward.

The leaf blower debate remains unresolved. The council discussed, but did not vote on, broadening the definition of gas-powered blowers, dropping a snow-removal exemption and possibly lifting restrictions on electric blowers to encourage residents to switch. The committee will take the issue up again May 5, and the council may need a special meeting before Memorial Day if it wants the ordinance in effect for this summer.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve minutes of the April 14, 2026 meeting Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Amend the meeting agenda order Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Ratify police (NCPD/Fraternal Order of Police) and fire (IAFF Local 3224) union contracts, July 2025-June 2029 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Amend bond-authorization process to require item-by-item votes instead of one bulk vote Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: 2027 bond authorizations for information technology ($50,000), police ($192,000), fire equipment ($1,615,000), ambulance corps ($85,000), emergency management ($78,660), DPW administration/engineering (approximately $4.8 million), DPW highway ($684,000), DPW town buildings ($2,245,000), recreation ($80,000) and sewer capital ($1,150,000) Tally: Approved unanimously (each)

• Action: Motion to remove a $170,000 vehicle purchase from the DPW parks appropriation — Failed; underlying $945,000 parks bond then approved unanimously

- Vote: Bond authorization of $1 million for the library's legacy-building grant match Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Motion to remove several school vehicle-replacement line items from the schools appropriation — Failed; underlying schools bond, approximately $2.3 million, then approved unanimously

- Action: Motion to delete $225,000 in bonding for affordable-housing parking-lot engineering — Failed - Vote: Approve $225,000 bond for affordable-housing parking-lot engineering (New Canaan Housing Authority grant) Tally: For: 8, Against: 1, Total: 9

- Vote: Adopt Town Code Chapter 41, Section 41-10, subsection 2, restoring parking commission authority to hear citation appeals Tally: For: 7, Against: 1, Total: 8

• Action: Gas-powered leaf blower ordinance amendments — Continued to Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting, May 5, 2026, with a possible special Town Council meeting before Memorial Day to consider adoption

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Town Council meeting, April 22, 2026