Coventry officials outline a $132.95 million proposed budget; health care, pensions and police staffing drive costs

Town Manager and Finance Director Sevetti presented the council with the opening review of the FY2027 proposed expenditure budget, describing aggregate and department-level drivers and fielding council questions about funding strategies.

Director Sevetti said the proposed total expenditure budget is $132,949,586, an approximate $5.8 million (4.6%) increase over the previous fiscal year. He told the council the town had just received projections of rising employee benefit costs and that health premiums alone were projected to go up roughly 17.49% (dental about 11.9%), a late and significant pressure on departmental budgets.

Sevetti highlighted three large recurring items: higher pension contributions (the police plan ADC rising by approximately $287,000 and municipal employee pension by roughly $44,000), an interest-only debt service payment on the $25 million school bond of about $1.2 million, and continued investment in capital projects (the proposed CIP is $550,000 with a net $800,000 road-paving line reflecting anticipated state reimbursement).

Individual departmental highlights discussed in the meeting included: - Elections/Board of Canvassers: an approximate $63,000 increase (35%) tied to two scheduled elections in FY2027 (poll workers, supplies and polling-site needs). - Information Technology: a proposal to add a second IT staffer with a $55,000 base salary; Sevetti estimated the fully loaded cost (salary, benefits, taxes) near $89,000 annually to support help-desk work, AV/meeting support and annex/library infrastructure. - DPW and snow removal: a 7% overall DPW increase largely tied to salt/snow costs and vehicle needs; the department proposed renting additional plow/salt equipment rather than relying on outside contractors during storms. - Public safety: a proposal to raise police staffing to 58 sworn officers (two additional FTEs in the FY2027 budget) along with a one-time/recurring operational increase for an upgraded CAD/dispatch system and body-camera licensing; Sevetti and the chief noted a CAD license cost in the neighborhood of $84,000 in the operational lines.

Council members pressed staff on options to smooth spikes (for example, a reserved election fund or capital replacement plan for DPW fleet), on when the council would see revenue estimates (the town manager said the full revenue presentation will accompany the managerproposed budget) and on the timing for a tax-rate estimate (final tax-rate numbers depend on revaluation results expected in mid-June; preliminary levy increase projection cited was roughly 3%).

Staff said they will return with the manager's proposed budget and a detailed revenue presentation at the next public hearing; council members asked the finance committee to examine reserve and capital-funding options (for vehicles, snow responses, and election-year spikes) before final appropriation votes.