![[CREDIT: Town of Coventry] The Coventry Town Council discusses expanding access to full town solicitor invoices to the entire council and alerting the council when departments exceed budgets by 5 percent.](https://e8dgfhu6pow.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Coventry-Town-Council-April-21-Solicitor-Invoices.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
COVENTRY, RI — The Coventry Town Council voted April 22 to expand access to town solicitor invoices to the entire council and to mandate a assessment when departments threaten to exceed budgets by 5 p.c.
The decision effecting these modifications, proposed by Councilman Jonathan Pascua, additionally included an amended Letter of Engagement for City Solicitor Steven Angell, which had beforehand restricted entry to un-redacted invoices to City Council President Hilary Lima.
Solicitor Invoices Entry decision mentioned
Pascua proposed the change last week.
Throughout public remark previous to the vote and dialogue, Stacie Nichols criticized Pascua’s decision.
“Whereas it could seem on the floor to deal with a few of the transparency points, utterly misses the mark with regards to actual and lasting change with our city council,” she stated.
Nichols criticized the decision’s lack of necessities for the council to reply to monetary considerations, saying that whereas it offers council members the chance to take a look at the invoices it doesn’t require them to try this. She stated that with no formal course of that requires council members to assessment paperwork when considerations are raised, “We’re merely crossing our fingers and hoping for the perfect.”
Nichols additionally criticized the city’s price range course of, which she stated included price range will increase with out justification.
Pascua learn from his decision, citing use of the phrase, “shall,” the place it considerations councilors receiving solicitor invoices month-to-month. That phrase is a powerful alternative, he stated, that means the decision requires councilors to obtain the invoices.
“That’s not up for dialogue,” Pascua stated, it’s going to occur.
Pascua stated a proposed Letter of Engagement for the Solicitor has additionally been amended to mirror that the complete council has entry to un-redacted solicitor invoices.
A movement amending the letter of engagement handed 5-0.
Subsequent, the Council voted on the decision making the city solicitor invoices entry change and mandating the price range monitoring.
The decision handed 5-0.
The Council additionally voted 5-0 to request that the Coventry College Committee undertake the Council’s insurance policies together with an alert to the board and City Finance Director if a division threatens to exceed their price range by 5 p.c, quarterly.
Assistant City Supervisor proposes water planning efforts
In different information, Assistant City Supervisor Maria Broadbent stated the city ought to pay higher consideration to its water sources.
“We’re a city outlined by water,” stated Broadbent, asking the council and the city to contemplate working water-oriented points into common planning. She famous there are 63 dams on the town, and that the council can be often speaking about Johnson’s Pond.
Broadbent famous flooding, drainage points, and dam administration and stormwater administration among the many water-centric points the city must be and planning round strategically.
She stated Conservation Fee, and the Johnson’s Pond and Tiogue Lake group teams must be a part of the dialogue.
