Westerly renews town solicitor contract; retainers rise modestly, paralegal rate unchanged

The Westerly Town Council voted to extend the town solicitor contract for two years with the law office of William J. Connelly Jr., following a review of performance and terms.

Solicitor William J. Connelly Jr. thanked the council for the opportunity and outlined that the proposed contract keeps most billing terms unchanged while modestly increasing the retainer and the hourly rate for certain categories of work. "You'll see in my billing there's never anything for text messages," Connelly said in response to a question about communications, adding that he generally does not charge for brief texts but charges for substantive phone time.

Town staff and numerous councilors praised the solicitor's responsiveness, municipal experience and fiscal discretion in billing. Several councilors noted he had led or coordinated outside special‑counsel hires when a case required specialized expertise and that he seeks council approval before recommending outside counsel or experts.

Councilors raised and received clarification on exclusivity (the contract covers the solicitor's office; specialist hires are brought back to council for approval) and billing practices for phone and text communications. The motion to approve the retainer and two‑year contract passed during new business.

The contract extension keeps paralegal billing rates unchanged and formalizes the retainer; it also reaffirmed the solicitor's practice to notify the council when outside specialized counsel is recommended.