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Solicitor Rosetti presents small FY27 law budget, says town will limit outside counsel
Summary
Solicitor Rosetti told the Ways and Means Committee the town's FY27 law budget mirrors FY26 with roughly a 0.5% increase and emphasized using in-house expertise to reduce outside-counsel costs. He noted a $125,000 line for outside legal services and said staffing additions remain a possibility if cost-effective.
Solicitor Rosetti appeared before the Committee of Ways and Means on May 14 to present the Town of Brainree's proposed FY27 law department budget, describing the solicitor's role as the town's attorney and noting that the proposed budget largely mirrors FY26 with an increase of about 0.5 percent.
Rosetti said the solicitor's office serves the town government "writ large" ' representing the mayor's office, department heads, the council and other town staff on legal matters, including litigation and questions about the charter or ordinances. "A town attorney is not legal counsel to the residents," he told the committee, explaining the public-office orientation of the role.
During questioning, Councelor Flity pressed Rosetti on measures to limit outside legal spending. Rosetti confirmed there is a budgeted line for outside legal services and legal fees of $125,000 and said his strategy is to handle generalist matters in-house and bring in outside experts only when specialized knowledge or conflicts require it. "There are significant specialties and sub-specialties," he said, adding that outside counsel is used when the town benefits from an expert who can "hit the ground running." He also said that, as sole solicitor, he triages work and prioritizes deadlines to keep outside spending down.
Rosetti told the committee the town has already reduced outside labor-and-employment counsel costs because the solicitor handled negotiations internally. He said the administration will assess whether hiring a second attorney or a paralegal could reduce total costs compared with continued reliance on outside counsel.
The committee voiced appreciation for Rosetti's accessibility and responsiveness during his first year in office. No formal vote was taken on the law department budget during this hearing; Rosetti said he would provide more detail if the committee requested follow-up information.
The committee proceeded to the next department review after the exchange.
