Government

Selectmen, Commission ID Wages Issue within NCPD

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The New Canaanite 2024 Summer Internship Program is sponsored by Karp Associates. Town officials this month discussed what they described as an ongoing salary issue among New Canaan’s finest. 

During the Ag. 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, members of the Police Commission asked the selectmen for percentage salary increases for the highest-ranking members of the New Canaan Police Department. Paul Foley, a member of the appointed body, asked the Board to increase the deputy chief and captain’s salary from 2.75% to 3%, and the chief’s from 2.75% to 3.5%. During the meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference, Foley said these increases aren’t “quite where other departments are, but it gets them bumped up a bit.”

Foley said the increases would send a message to the rest of the staff that “there is some room for compensation increase.”

Foley said the department has been dealing with an issue where there’s a lack of individuals moving into administration positions.

Board of Selectmen

Selectmen Approve Contract for Drug Testing of New Hires and ‘Safety-Sensitive’ Workers

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The Board of Selectmen last week approved a contract with a Larchmont, N.Y.-based company to provide drug testing for new hires and “safety-sensitive” town workers. The latter group includes those who carry a commercial driver’s license or “CDL,” and they’re tested quarterly, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann. “There are two separate pools in the DOT pool and the non-DOT pool based on their CDL licensing, and then from there, there’s a random draw,” Mann told the selectmen at a special meeting, held Jan. 17 at Town Hall and via videoconference. 

He added, “We don’t take the draw. The company itself takes the draw.

Board of Selectmen

‘I Don’t Want To Do This Half-Assed’: Town Creates Grant Writer Job

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Saying the new position would pay for itself, municipal officials on Tuesday approved a job for a grant writer for the town. Connecticut municipalities such as Stamford, Stratford, Bristol, Norwalk, Westport, Berlin and Fairfield already have grant writers on staff, according to New Canaan Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering Jones. 

“We had received information for different towns that are receiving state grants and we have many communities that are getting grants that we are not receiving,” Pickering Jones told the Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting, held atTown Hall and via videoconference. 

“We do not have the staff on board to apply for a lot of these grants, whether it be public works, first responders, health and human services, and I think the town would do well to have a full-time grant writer.”

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted in favor of creating the new position. 

Pickering Jones said the town has drafted a job description. 

Williams said, “This position should pay for itself and then some if we are doing this right.”

Moynihan said some towns have more than one grant writer. 

Corbet noted that the town recently received notification that other towns had received a Small Town Economic Assistance Program or “STEAP” grant from the state, though New Canaan did not. “I wonder if we would maybe consider starting with a part-time position rather than a full-time position, and then possibly going to two part-time positions,” Corbet said. “I think that enables you to sort of start up the grant writing process and then once it’s underway you can have two people working and it also saves benefits. Just something to consider.”

This exchange followed:
Moynihan: I think we can always back off if we don’t see candidates for full-time that are desirable.

Board of Selectmen

‘A Big Challenge, But I’m Looking Forward To It’: Town Appoints John Howe as Interim Parks & Rec Director

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Officials on Tuesday appointed the town’s longtime parks superintendent to serve as interim director of parks and recreation. 

John Howe has been with the town for about 24 years and is “one of many employees who worked very closely with Steve Benko over the last many years,” New Canaan Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering Jones told members of the Board of Selectmen at their regular meeting, held in Town Hall and via videoconference. 

“And what we are trying to do is fill Steve Benko’s shoes, which as everyone knows is not going to be an easy task,” Pickering Jones said. “What John is going to do is, as he becomes interim, is research the department. We are looking at how area towns are doing it and come up with some suggestions. So our first move is to make him interim and then we will hear from him as to other recommendations.”

Benko, a 50-year employee of the town who worked as recreation director sine 1979, died Feb. 12 following a brief battle with cancer.

Anne Kelly-Lenz

Town Hires New CFO

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Weeks after losing its well-regarded CFO to one neighboring town, New Canaan is hiring away a successor from another. The Board of Selectmen during a special meeting Monday voted 3-0 to hire Anne Kelly-Lenz starting Jan. 18. The CFO of Wilton since 2015, she succeeds Lunda Asmani, who left New Canaan last month to work for Norwalk. “I highly recommend Anne,” New Canaan Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering Jones said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.