Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Congratulations to the New Canaan High School varsity girls’ soccer team on a 2-1 victory over Amity on Monday. The girls advance to play No. 7 seed Middletown at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Best of luck! ***

Though some bridled after Audit Committee members issued a list of “action items” they said they required in order for the volunteer group to feel comfortable signing off on New Canaan’s financial statements, it appears local officials—including the first selectman, Town Council, school and finance boards and Audit Committee itself—have worked together to move forward as one.

Government

‘I Don’t Think We Should Be Blackmailed Into Submission’: Selectmen Sound Off On Audit Committee

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The volunteer group appointed to help the town with financial reporting has created anxiety needlessly, issued empty ultimatums, overstepped its charge and demanded changes that either already are in place or run against New Canaan’s governing document, officials said Wednesday. Though members of the Audit Committee deserve thanks for their time and effort, they’ve paid far too much attention to a “self-proclaimed whistleblower” who has cost the town hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, the newly re-elected Board of Selectmen said during a regular meeting. Though he stopped short of calling out town resident Michael Nowacki by name, Selectman Nick Williams called the “whistleblower” in question “a cancer on this town.”

“For the Audit Committee to take their cues from this individual, I don’t get it,” Williams said during the meeting, held at Town Hall. He added: “Why does the Audit Committee talk to this individual? They shouldn’t.

Government

‘I Think We Are Getting Close’: Audit Committee Details Course-Correction Plan

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The independent auditors who sign off on the town’s financial statements—helping New Canaan maintain its AAA bond rating and fund major capital projects such as the Town Hall expansion and proposed building project at Saxe—need better internal controls in order to do their jobs responsibly, officials said Monday. Auditors don’t actually “do real auditing,” but rather “rely on systems of internal control” in reviewing New Canaan’s financial statements, according to Audit Committee member Ed Kangas. And those systems themselves need substantial changes and shoring up, he said during a meeting of the Audit Committee, held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. Because towns in Connecticut are set up where the municipality funds the schools, distrust between the two can develop and “I see it in spades here,” Kangas said. “I think we are getting close to the place where we have an understanding that says we have to have good financial systems, good financial controls, good checks and balances.

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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It’s Election Day, and the League of Women Voters of New Canaan created this one-page Web guide for local constituents, including a Voters’ Guide to the Candidates, New Canaan 2015 Sample Ballot, Voting District Map and Absentee Ballot Information. ***

We’re hearing the Gridiron Club made another outstanding choice for this year’s “Fall Guy.” It’s New Canaan’s own Keith Simpson, noted local landscape architect and civic-minded volunteer, who currently serves with the New Canaan Beautification League, Waveny Park Conservancy, Pop Up Park Committee and Plan of Conservation & Development Implementation Committee, among other groups. ***

Police received a report last week of a distressed animal at Whiffle Tree Lane. At about 10:13 a.m. on Oct. 27, the police department’s Animal Control section arrived at the residence to find a small animal caught in an elbow of a gutter.

Government

Public Schools ‘Surprised’ by Audit Committee’s Decision To Suspend Activities

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[What follows is the New Canaan Public Schools’ response to the Audit Committee’s decision this week to suspend its activities pending several changes.]

“The Board of Education was surprised to learn that the Audit Committee members have decided to cease their efforts as a committee at this time. “Since the Audit Committee was formed in 2014, the Board of Education has focused on establishing open and forthright communications with all members. In full committee meetings, meetings with individual committee members, email communications, and through phone discussions, we have shared our practices, answered questions, and received and responded to feedback and suggestions. As a result of these suggestions, we have made changes to our practices and/or procedures. Some of these changes could and did occur quickly, while others take more time.