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New town solicitor outlines priorities; committee keeps $125,000 for outside counsel in FY26 budget
Summary
Town Solicitor Ken Rossetti, newly on staff, told the Ways and Means Committee he will focus on labor and employment and land-use litigation, but outside counsel will still be needed; the town carried $125,000 in the FY26 budget for outside legal services.
Town Solicitor Ken Rossetti, who started his role shortly before the May 19 Ways and Means hearing, told committee members he expects to reduce but not eliminate the town’s use of outside counsel and plans to prioritize labor-and-employment matters and land-use defense work.
Rossetti said bringing legal work in‑house can cut the town’s reliance on outside law firms, but conflicts, specialized expertise, and case volume will still require some outsourcing. He suggested quarterly reporting to the committee on outside counsel usage and said he and administration staff would monitor whether hiring additional in‑house attorneys would be cost-effective.
Why it matters: The committee questioned whether the $125,000 FY26 line for outside counsel — shown on the general fund report — is realistic given historical spending and new in‑house capacity. Director Esmond told the committee the $125,000 figure mirrors past actuals for the department and was included as a pro forma amount while Rossetti inventories pending matters and determines what can be handled internally.
Rossetti’s priorities and scope: Rossetti told councilors his “wheelhouse” includes labor and employment issues and defending municipal decisions in land-use litigation (zoning, 40B/40A-related appeals and related litigation). He said he expects to handle many matters directly but will retain outside counsel where specialized expertise or conflicts require it.
Committee follow-up: Councilors asked for updates on the mix of in‑house versus outside work and suggested Rossetti provide the committee with a matters tracker or periodic briefing; Rossetti said he had started to assemble a matter list and would report back. Director Esmond said the administration would provide updates as the solicitor catalogs outstanding matters and estimates outside counsel needs.
Ending: The committee did not change the outside-counsel appropriation at the May 19 hearing. Rossetti and the administration said they will review outstanding cases and report back to the committee during FY26 as part of ongoing budget oversight.
