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North Canaan postpones town budget vote to May 18

North Canaan postpones town budget vote to May 18
North Canaan Town Hall
File photo

NORTH CANAAN — North Canaan has postponed its town meeting on the proposed 2026–27 municipal and education budgets until May 18 after officials identified a scheduling conflict with a major high school event expected to draw a large turnout.

During its May 4 session, the Board of Selectmen voted to move the annual town meeting from May 13 after concerns were raised that many residents would be attending the Housatonic Valley Regional High School FFA open house that same evening.

The FFA Open House is an annual event held at the high school that highlights the school’s agricultural education program, including student projects and hands-on learning experiences.

The board voted to reschedule the meeting for May 18 at 7 p.m.

The proposed budgets total about $14.6 million, including a $3.35 million municipal budget and an $11.24 million education budget, the latter reflecting a 7.92% increase over the current year. About $5.1 million is allocated to North Canaan Elementary School, while $6.14 million represents the town’s share of the Region One School District budget, which voters approved last week.

A public hearing on the budgets held April 20 lasted about three minutes and drew little public comment. Officials said the proposed budgets are not expected to face significant opposition.

Christian Murray
Executive Editor

Christian Murray is executive editor of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News. A graduate of the Columbia Journalism School, he is a veteran journalist, founding the Queens Post and its network of neighborhood news sites—including the Sunnyside Post, Astoria Post, LIC Post and Jackson Heights Post—and helping pioneer hyperlocal digital journalism in New York City. Before joining LJMN in 2025, he served as managing editor at Schneps Media, overseeing amNewYork, the Queens Courier, the Bronx Times and other local publications. Earlier in his career, Murray was a political reporter for Newsday and a business reporter for Reuters. A native of New Zealand, he says northwest Connecticut reminds him of the landscapes where he grew up—a connection that made the region feel like home from the start.

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