Coventry council amends provisional budget to add $50,000 for weed abatement

The Coventry Town Council on Monday approved its provisional budget for fiscal year 2027 after amending it to add $40,000 to the conservation commission’s weed-abatement line, creating a $50,000 allocation for aquatic weed control across four town-owned water bodies.

Town manager Mr. Perillo presented the provisional budget and recommended no further changes since his March 24 briefing. Councilman Pasquale proposed increasing the conservation commission line by $40,000 so the total would be $50,000; he said the amount could be distributed using the same percentages applied last year and provided itemized estimates (for example, Johnson's Pond ≈ $29,085; Upper Dam ≈ $7,415). "Using that same percentage...we could allocate approximately $29,000 to Johnson's Pond," Pasquale said.

The council voted to amend the provisional budget to add the funds and then adopted the provisional budget as amended. The amendment passed on voice vote; the final provisional budget adoption also passed by voice vote.

During the meeting Finance Director Savetti summarized fiscal-year-to-date figures from the Feb. 28 balance sheet and warned of line-item overages: the solicitor/legal budget is trending toward an overage (roughly $200,000, about 30% over), snow removal was at 128% of budget, and vehicle maintenance projected a 15% overage. Savetti said the town is projecting a modest overall surplus assuming current revenue trends continue and that nonessential spending is frozen.

Council members questioned whether historical averages should determine future budgets. Councilman Hall pressed for stronger oversight of DPW line items and suggested a finer breakdown of program versus department spending. Speakers noted storm costs and heavy winter usage of fleet vehicles as drivers of maintenance and repair costs.

What’s next: The provisional budget will move through remaining budget hearings before final adoption; the council and staff said they will continue assessing departmental overages and revenue trends before the final vote.