Police, fire and EMS pitch FY27 budgets to council panel
Town Council · Meeting of February 6, 2026
New Canaan public safety leaders previewed FY27 budget requests worth millions ahead of Tuesday's Town Council review. The police department's $8.373 million operating budget grew 3.8 percent, but a subcommittee member identified as Nick noted the true increase is only 2.1 percent once a $75,000 IT-cost shift and a reclassified Flock camera contract are excluded. The department's capital ask includes $300,000 for three patrol vehicles and a jump in Taser replacement costs to $150,000 after manufacturer Axon discontinued the current model.
Fire officials outlined a roughly $1.2 million capital plan, including up to $1 million to refurbish the department's 2008 tanker, and raised the long-term prospect of a second fire station to fix response-time gaps in northern New Canaan. Emergency Management Director Russ said Motorola's proposed radio-contract increase, once as high as 31 percent, has been negotiated down to 21 to 26 percent. New Canaan EMS President Barb Clayton reported 1,700-plus calls last year on 28,633 volunteer hours and an $800,000 reserve fund.
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Source: the Town Council meeting of February 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — February 6, 2026 — Public safety officials walked a Town Council-Board of Finance subcommittee through fiscal year 2027 budget requests Friday, outlining an $8.373 million police operating budget, a roughly $1.2 million fire department capital plan and a still-undecided call on whether New Canaan should abandon its aging emergency radio system for a regional one.
The 3 p.m. session, held by the council's Public Safety and Emergency Services Subcommittee, drew presentations from the police chief, Emergency Management Director Russ, New Canaan EMS President Barb Clayton and the fire chief, ahead of a full Town Council review Tuesday. No votes were taken; the meeting was a budget workshop.
The Full Story
The police chief told the subcommittee the department's overall operating budget request of $8.373 million represents a 3.8 percent increase over fiscal 2026, but that figure is inflated by two one-time factors: the department absorbing roughly $75,000 in information-technology licensing costs previously carried by the town's IT department, including a $24,000 setup fee for Microsoft account migration, and the reclassification of the Flock license-plate camera system from a capital expense to an annual operating contract, adding another $67,000. Combined, those shifts account for most of a 92 percent jump in the department's service-contracts line, to $250,000. Excluding those items, the department's true year-over-year growth is 2.1 percent, a subcommittee member identified only as Nick noted during the discussion.
The department's capital request totals $300,000 for three replacement patrol vehicles, continuing a transition from Ford Explorers to Chevrolet Tahoes that the chief said has proven more reliable. A separate line item for Taser replacements is rising from $17,000 to $150,000 because manufacturer Axon is discontinuing support for the department's current model; officials opted to buy new units outright rather than enter a five-year lease-to-own plan that would have cost $250,000 over its term. The department currently fields 50 sworn officers, up from 47 in fiscal 2025 to staff school resource officers in every public school, and reported seven female officers on the force, aided by expanded locker-room space in the new police headquarters.
Russ, the town's emergency management director, told the subcommittee the office is negotiating a replacement contract for the town's public-safety radio system with Motorola after the vendor initially proposed a 31 percent price increase over the current agreement; that has since been negotiated down to roughly 21 to 26 percent. The budget requests $179,216.75 for a worst-case one-year contract while the town studies whether to migrate to the State of Connecticut's radio network, a move Russ said could ultimately cost millions in new equipment but would reduce long-term maintenance costs. He said he expects a recommendation on a preferred contract term by March.
Barb Clayton, president of the all-volunteer New Canaan EMS, reported the organization logged more than 1,700 calls and 1,800 patients last year across 28,633 volunteer hours. The paramedic contract with Norwalk Hospital, fixed at $465,000 annually through June 2028, remains unchanged, but the organization is seeking a 5 percent increase in its medical-supplies allotment, partly to cover new monthly paramedic-supply reimbursements of about $712. Its capital request of $85,000 would replace a paramedic support vehicle. John Knight, presenting alongside Clayton, said the organization maintains roughly $800,000 in reserve funds and typically raises $150,000 to $210,000 annually through a public donation appeal.
The fire chief's presentation centered on an approximately $1.2 million capital request, including a placeholder of up to $1 million to refurbish the department's 2008 tanker truck, though he said a bid is expected to come in closer to $650,000 to $750,000. He also raised, without a formal proposal, the long-term possibility of a second fire station in northern New Canaan to address roughly 120 calls a year that exceed the department's 10-minute response standard, particularly near St. Luke's School. The department reported 44 coded fires and 12 building fires last year, with property loss of just under $400,000, down from the $600,000s the prior year.
"It is very impressive... we're knocking those fires down in five minutes from arrival. We have water on fire and it's it's very impressive. I'm very proud of our of our members." — Fire chief
"By the way, Chief, if we exclude the IT department cost shift to you and your Flock, your budget only increased 2.1 percent year-over-year." — Nick, subcommittee member
"You can't spell Monopoly without Motorola." — Russ, emergency management director
Why It Matters
The requests reviewed Friday will shape the town's fiscal 2027 budget, which the full Town Council takes up Tuesday. The largest open questions are financial: whether to commit up to $1 million to refurbish the fire department's aging tanker, whether to move forward on a second fire station given New Canaan's response-time gaps in its northern neighborhoods, and whether to abandon the town's own VHF radio system for the state's network, a decision officials say could cost millions either way.
For residents, the police department's Taser and vehicle upgrades and the fire department's apparatus replacement cycle are funded largely through property taxes, while New Canaan EMS continues to operate on volunteer labor and public donations. A final radio-system recommendation is expected by March, ahead of any capital commitment next fiscal year.
Key Motions & Votes
No formal votes taken at this meeting.
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Town Council meeting, February 6, 2026