Finance Director Bob Sovetti told the Coventry Town Council that the town's solicitor/legal line is projected to be substantially over budget and that the town is tracking other fiscal items including ARPA obligations and impact-fee balances.

Solicitor legal spending

Sovetti told the council the solicitor/legal department is the only line currently projected to run materially over budget and that, after factoring first-quarter invoices and removing one-time flat fees, "that line item will be approximately $500,000 over budget." He said the town had expended roughly $329,000 of a $680,000 budgeted amount in the first quarter and that continued trends could push the line substantially over.

Public concern over approvals and process

Resident Britney Boyer raised concerns about the scale of legal spending and the process used to approve invoices. Boyer presented a timeline of internal emails, saying an invoice package totaling about $146,717 had been approved within minutes by the town's then-president and urging the council to consider spending caps or additional oversight. "The level of legal expenditure is simply unsustainable," Boyer said, noting hourly rates in the record and asking council to limit further exposure.

Other fiscal matters

Sovetti said the fiscal-2025 audit is on track for state-timely completion and that some items remain outstanding related to the school department's internal service fund. He updated the council on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, reporting the town committed its ARPA allocations and that about $1.7 million remained to be spent or encumbered as of Sept. 30, 2025 (figures approximate and reported by Sovetti). He also gave an impact-fee balance summary showing roughly $1.1 million available across categories such as parks, law enforcement and road improvements.

Operational budget concerns

Council members asked questions about department-level spending patterns: vehicle maintenance appeared high for the first quarter and will be monitored; police-detail revenue is recorded at gross in the financial statements to match gross expenditures; and staff said the town is arranging energy audits for municipal buildings as some utility costs rose. Sovetti said he would continue monthly monitoring and provide a reassessment in December.

Ending

Council members and residents urged continued scrutiny of attorney spending and asked for monthly reporting on the solicitor line. Sovetti said he would update the council and recommended that legal spending be reviewed and managed as cases progress.