Town meeting is Dec. 17, but no town report yet

NORTH CANAAN — The annual town meeting will be held Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.

On the agenda are the usual items that allow the town to proceed with its routine business. That includes a list of banks where the town can deposit its funds, authorization to allow the  selectmen to fund the ordinary expenses of the town and acceptance of the town report, which covers the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014.

First Selectman Douglas Humes said that last item may be tabled if necessary — the issue being the potential absence of a town report. He said they have had no word on when the report might be ready. It is prepared by the Board of Finance.

Although the bulk of the report is a collection of year-end summaries from various town and regional agencies, schools and so forth, the legal requirement is that citizens be presented with the audit of town finances.

Selectmen’s Secretary Dorothy Paviol said she has received numerous requests and complaints over the past month. The town report is traditionally published and made available by election day so that residents can pick up copies when they come to vote. That has not been the case for a number of years now.

Most recently, the finance board has been printing a limited number of copies and directing people to a posting of the report at www.northcanaan.org.