New Canaan Council Votes 8-4 to Ban Summer Gas Leaf Blowers
Town Council · Meeting of May 20, 2026
New Canaan Town Council votes 8-4 to adopt a seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. The council also approved a $360,000 special appropriation for the Board of Education to prepare for a kindergarten enrollment surge at West Elementary School, reduced from an original $500,000 ask after a roughly $140,000 state grant. A contentious 10-2 vote approved an audit engagement letter with PKF O'Connor Davies, base fee $117,950, over objections from council members Kim Norton and Christina Ross that the town's Audit Committee never reviewed it.
Opponent Councilman Eric argued the leaf blower ordinance "impacts 100 percent of our residents at the request of 2 percent of those residents," while backers pointed to an unusually high volume of public letters. A large landowner, Weed Farm, sought an unadopted 20-acre exemption. Minutes from an April 22 meeting were tabled after a member disputed two votes recorded as unanimous.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 952 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of May 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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