New Canaan Health and Human Services Departments Present Reduced Budget Requests to Subcommittee
Town Council · Meeting of January 30, 2026
New Canaan's Health and Human Services Subcommittee heard budget previews from both town departments, with combined spending proposals showing year-over-year declines. Health Department Director Amy Lehini reported her department's expenses are projected down 6.4 percent, driven by reductions in salary, overtime, and software subscription lines, while a new part-time nurse salary line absorbs costs previously covered by an expiring grant. Human Services Director Mercy Rand reported her department's total expenditures are down 8.9 percent and outside agency grants drawn from the town budget are down 56 percent, with programs such as the Urgent Assessment Program and New Canaan Cares receiving the bulk of their funding from Connecticut DOT, Youth Services Bureau, and opioid settlement sources rather than the town's general fund.
The food pantry, funded entirely by donations, has already served 945 individuals in fiscal year 2026 against a full-year 2025 total of 1,699, with Rand projecting 1,800 to 2,000 users by year's end. The Town Council is expected to vote on the full budget in April.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 881 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of January 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — January 30, 2026 — The Health and Human Services Subcommittee of the Town Council and Board of Finance heard budget presentations from the town's Health Department and Human Services Department, with both departments reporting year-over-year spending decreases driven largely by creative use of outside grant funding.
Health Department Director Amy Lehini, who joined the town in June, told the subcommittee her department's overall expenses are projected down 6.4 percent from the prior year. Human Services Director Mercy Rand reported her department's total human services expenditures are down 8.9 percent, with outside agency expenditures drawn from the town's general budget down 56 percent, thanks to supplemental funding from state grants and settlement proceeds.
The Full Story
Lehini opened the meeting with a review of the Health Department's core responsibilities, which include inspecting 106 food service establishments, issuing roughly 60 well permits annually, overseeing 90 subsurface sewage system permits last year, and conducting inspections of 43 salons and 22 public pools. The department also runs monthly suicide prevention training through the QPR program, hosts health literacy panels, and offers free childhood vaccinations through the Connecticut Child Vaccine Program.
The primary drivers of the Health Department's budget decrease are reductions in salary and overtime lines and a cut in software subscription costs. Increases include a part-time salary line for the public health nurse, who works 12 hours per week and had previously been funded through a grant that is now expiring. The budget also adds a new line for a health and wellness coach certification, which would allow a staff member to work one-on-one with residents to help manage health indicators such as A1C levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Lehini said she does not anticipate any changes to the budget between now and the Town Council vote expected in April.
Subcommittee members asked about staff certification timelines. Lehini explained that the newest sanitarian, Kelsey McCarthy, submitted paperwork for her food inspection certification in May and did not receive a state review until December, illustrating what Lehini described as a significant bottleneck in Connecticut's certification process. She said McCarthy came from the town of Monroe and cannot yet independently conduct food inspections as a result of the delay.
"Right now our newest employee, Kelsey, has been working on her food certification for over a year and she's still not there. And that's really a state of Connecticut problem." [0:12:00] — Amy Lehini, Director of Health
Rand's Human Services presentation highlighted a growing caseload. She reported 229 adult and senior clients served by her office and 169 children served by colleague Jackie, for a total of 178 parents and children. The town food pantry has served 945 individuals so far in fiscal year 2026, compared to 1,699 in all of 2025 and 1,410 in 2024. Rand said she expects the current year total to approach 1,800 to 2,000 users.
Rand detailed a series of outside agency grants assembled to minimize the town's direct budget exposure. GetAbout, a transportation program, will receive $50,000, with $25,000 from New Canaan and $25,000 from a Connecticut Department of Transportation grant. Domestic violence services will receive $10,000 from the town budget. New Canaan Cares requested $22,000 and was approved for $18,000, assembled from a $2,000 town contribution, $10,000 from the Youth Services Bureau grant, and $6,000 from the opioid settlement fund. Meals on Wheels will receive $5,000. The Urgent Assessment Program requested and received $40,000, split between $15,000 from the town and $25,000 from opioid settlement proceeds. The food pantry itself operates entirely on donations and is not carried in the town budget.
"So, the budget line will read 2,000, but that is not the true number that they'll be receiving. I don't want anyone to" [0:45:00] — Mercy Rand, Human Services Director
The meeting also touched on Narcan training. A subcommittee member noted that a recent public training organized with New Canaan Cares was well attended and asked whether the Health or Human Services departments could expand such programming. Rand said her department funded Narcan for that training and that future purchases could draw on opioid settlement funds. A subcommittee member asked that any expanded Narcan programming be coordinated with the town's EMS department to avoid duplication.
"Whatever we do going forward, let's make sure we communicate or coordinate at least with the EMS because they're on the exact same track with that." [0:58:00] — Todd, subcommittee member
Why It Matters
Both budget proposals are preliminary. The Town Council is expected to vote on the full budget in April, following review by the Board of Finance. The Health Department's request to absorb the public health nurse's salary, previously covered by a grant that is ending, represents one concrete cost pressure. The Human Services Department's food pantry caseload, projected to reach roughly 2,000 users by year's end, is up significantly from 1,410 in 2024, and subcommittee members signaled interest in tracking the department's service capacity as demand grows. The next step for both departments is presenting to the full Board of Finance as part of the broader budget cycle.
Key Motions & Votes
No formal votes taken at this meeting.
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Health and Human Services Subcommittee meeting, January 30, 2026