Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coventry Town Council approves $49.69M FY 2026–27 budget, holding school increases after public pleas
Summary
After nearly two hours of public comment urging protection for schools and the library, the Coventry Town Council approved a $49,689,023 FY 2026–27 budget — a roughly 3.22% tax increase — and authorized the town manager to correct any mathematical errors.
The Coventry Town Council voted unanimously among members present on May 12 to adopt a $49,689,023 municipal budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, producing an overall tax increase of about 3.22%.
Chairwoman Lisa Thomas led the meeting and presented a package of operating and capital reductions intended to narrow the town-side increase closer to community expectations. The final plan delayed hiring a Youth Services Coordinator until Nov. 1, moved the Assistant Parks and Recreation director salary into a special fund, reduced some capital allocations and contingency amounts, and applied $141,000 in pension savings from the Board of Education to reduce school-side cuts.
The budget totals passed were: General Government $13,177,236 (up 4.63%); Board of Education $32,789,696 (up 4.23%); Debt Service $2,912,837 (down 12.11%); Capital $809,254 (up 75%). Council members recorded the appropriation motion moved by Councilor Peter Larson and seconded by Mark Wheaton; the motion passed unanimously among members present.
Public comments before the vote focused heavily on protecting school funding. Jessica LaPointe of North Farms Road told the Council that "a 4.9% increase to the BOE budget is not excessive," arguing Coventry schools have operated with less for years and that underfunding shifts costs to students through larger classes and reduced services. Sarah Reed and Kate Clark urged the Council not to apply automatic proportional cuts between the town and the Board of Education, saying special education and legally mandated costs make the BOE less able to absorb reductions.
Joseph Jankowski, president of the Booth and Dimock Library trustees, asked the Council to protect the library's budget (about 1.3% of town spending), saying cuts would prevent a planned 2.5% cost-of-living increase for library staff and reduce materials and program support. Teacher Ryan Jones also spoke in support of the schools and noted concerns about recent abusive behavior directed at a Council member.
Finance Director Cherie Trahan briefed the Council on available offsets, including approximately $379,369 in state aid, a proposed use of $200,000 in reserves and a conservative boost to anticipated investment income. Thomas said these adjustments and identified BOE savings left the town close to a level many residents would view as reasonable.
Council discussion centered on whether to seek still-larger BOE reductions to meet a near-3% target and how much investment income to assume in revenue projections. Councilor Mark Wheaton proposed larger BOE cuts that would have pushed the overall increase near 3.1%, while others, including Councilor Robyn Gallagher, urged minimizing further reductions to the BOE. Finance staff cautioned that overstating investment income or reducing contingency could raise negotiation and arbitration risk for labor contracts.
The Council also authorized the Town Manager, by unanimous vote, to make adjustments to correct any mathematical errors that might be discovered in the budget paperwork. The Town Budget Meeting was scheduled for May 21 at 7 PM in the Annex; the referendum will be held June 2 from 6 AM to 8 PM at the Fire Station near the CHS/CNH complex, with absentee ballots available beginning May 22.
The meeting included a brief executive session to discuss union negotiations under Connecticut General Statutes; it convened at 8:47 PM and concluded at 8:59 PM. The Council adjourned at 8:59 PM.
Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt FY 2026–27 appropriations (Total $49,689,023): Moved by Peter Larson; seconded by Mark Wheaton; outcome: approved unanimously among members present. - Motion to authorize the Town Manager to correct mathematical errors: Moved by Peter Larson; seconded by Jon Hand; outcome: approved unanimously among members present.
What happens next The budget will be presented to the Town Budget Meeting on May 21 and then to voters at the June 2 referendum. The Council noted continued outreach to state legislators is needed to preserve ongoing state aid that reduced this year’s tax impact.
