Selectmen approve tree, electrical and software contracts

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of January 27, 2026

New Canaan selectmen review fee hikes and a $1.4 million Saxe security system ahead of Thursday's budget vote. The Board of Selectmen, delayed hours by a snowstorm, worked through fiscal 2027 department fee schedules, including a proposed jump in the transfer station's non-hauler sticker fee from $45 to $100 and a driveway permit fee rising from $250 to $500. New Canaan Public Schools officials said a proposed public-address and security system at Saxe Middle School now carries an estimated $1.4 million price tag, up from $1.2 million, and pitched a roughly $750,000 non-lapsing account to cover a possible kindergarten enrollment surge.

"I wouldn't recommend bouncing this one for a year," a district administrator identified as Brian said of the security system. Selectmen also unanimously approved an $11,048 Presidio software contract, a $13,640 tree-removal contract and an electrical services agreement with Darien Electrical LLC.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 952 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of January 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — January 27, 2026 — The Board of Selectmen met Tuesday for a final line-by-line review of the town's proposed fiscal 2027 budget, two days ahead of a scheduled vote, and approved several town contracts including a $13,640 tree-removal agreement and an $11,048 software-licensing deal.

The meeting began about four and a half hours late, at 10:34 a.m., after a snowstorm hit the region overnight. The board reviewed department fee schedules, combed through general government budget lines with town finance staff, and heard an extended update from New Canaan Public Schools on a proposed contingency fund for a possible kindergarten enrollment surge.

The Full Story

The board opened by approving the day's agenda unanimously and hearing no public comment before turning to department fee memos for fiscal 2027. A Department of Public Works engineering staffer identified in the meeting as Maria told the board the town's driveway, or curb-cut, permit fee has not been raised since 2020 and should increase from $250 to $500, citing the engineering and site-visit work required for modifications near roadways. The board also heard a proposal to raise the transfer station's annual sticker fee for residents without a private trash hauler from $45 to $100, while keeping the $45 fee unchanged for residents who do have a hauler. Public works officials said the town currently pays about $111 per ton to dispose of trash and wants resident fees to move closer to that actual cost over time.

Board members pressed public works staff for a historical comparison on the town's street-opening permit fee, which has been set at $10 per square foot of disturbed roadway since 2023 and was previously $7.50 per square foot dating to 2010. Several selectmen argued the fee is too low given the cost of repaving major roads, and staff agreed to prepare a comparison analysis before Thursday's vote. Inland Wetlands Director Kathleen Holland and Planning and Zoning officials, including a staffer identified as Sarah, told the board they are proposing no fee changes this year, having completed comprehensive fee reviews in 2025.

Town finance staff, led by a budget official identified as Ryan, walked the board through general government expense and revenue lines, which combined project to roughly $180 million for the coming fiscal year according to the presentation. Ryan said many departments will show inflated year-over-year increases because the town is now fully accounting for 401(a) retirement contributions in departmental budgets, a change from prior years, rather than because of new spending. He also flagged a $7,000 professional-services request from the town clerk's office tied to code-book updates and the ongoing charter revision process; selectmen said they wanted the town clerk to explain the request directly before approving it.

New Canaan Public Schools officials, including a district administrator identified as Brian, told selectmen the estimated cost of a new public-address and security communication system at Saxe Middle School has risen to $1.4 million, up from an earlier $1.2 million estimate matched to a similar system recently installed at New Canaan High School. Brian said delaying the project a year would not lower the price and that the system serves multiple functions, including bells, two-way classroom communication, lockdown alerts and integration with building security cameras.

The district is also asking the town to establish a roughly $750,000 non-lapsing account to cover possible costs, including rented portable classrooms at East School, tied to a projected spike in kindergarten enrollment. Selectmen said they support the concept but want a clearer accounting mechanism and pushed back on making the account permanent.

"I wouldn't recommend bouncing this one for a year. The price isn't going to go down." [Brian, New Canaan Public Schools administrator]

"We felt that this was actually one of the fees that did need to be modified, and we're suggesting a modification of $500." [Maria, Department of Public Works engineering staff]

"This number is going to include every dollar of salary that gets allocated to 401A. It's going to be more accurate to what's actually going to happen." [Ryan, town finance/budget staff]

The board closed by approving three contracts: a $11,048 agreement with Presidio for Microsoft virtual desktop access licenses, an agreement with Darien Electrical LLC to provide on-call electrical repair services through June 30, 2027, and a $13,640 contract with Mstead Tree and Shrub Care for removal, pruning and stump work at 10 locations, including cleanup after a fallen tree damaged headstones at the Carter Street Cemetery. The board also approved a batch of motor vehicle tax overpayment refunds.

Why It Matters

The board's full fiscal 2027 budget vote is scheduled for Thursday, and Tuesday's review set the fee changes and spending lines selectmen will act on. Residents without curbside trash pickup would see their transfer station fee more than double, to $100, while anyone seeking a new or relocated driveway curb cut would pay $500 instead of $250. On the schools side, the $1.4 million Saxe Middle School security and PA system and the proposed $750,000 kindergarten contingency fund both carry near-term budget implications tied to a documented rise in local births driving enrollment projections.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approve today's agenda Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve a contract with Presidio for virtual desktop access licenses, $11,048 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve an agreement with Darien Electrical LLC for electrical repair and upgrade services through June 30, 2027 Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve a contract with Mstead Tree and Shrub Care, $13,640, for tree removal, pruning and stump work Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approve motor vehicle tax overpayment refunds Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Board of Selectmen meeting, January 27, 2026