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.

Government

‘Simply Inadequate’: Audit Committee Cites Poor Town-Schools Relationship in Suspending Its Work

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Saying they don’t want to be associated with New Canaan’s financial statements, members of a committee that town officials appointed last summer in order to help oversee financial reporting for the municipal government and school district said late Tuesday that they’re suspending their work. The five members of the Audit Committee, including two alternates, said in a letter sent to the first selectman and Town Council that they “have no reason to believe the systems of internal control at both the Town and the Board of Education are adequate nor have recommended improvements been implemented.”

“Communication between the finance department of the Town and the Board of Education has not been adequate. This has resulted in un-reconciled accounts dating back several months. In addition, the Town CFO’s access to the Board of Education books and records, accounting and control systems, is not at an appropriate or adequate level. Without resolution, this would likely prohibit the Town’s CFO from making required representations regarding those controls and records to the Town’s external auditors.”

The committee will cease its activities Nov.