SWAMPSCOTT — Director of Finance and Administration Amy Sarro revealed that the town is $250,000 over budget in legal fees for fiscal year 2024 while giving a quarterly budget update to the Select Board.
The original amount budgeted to the legal-expenses line item for FY24 was $160,000. Sarro named a contract change that took place just before the current fiscal year began with KP Law, the town’s counsel, as the main reason for the excessive costs.
“Our original contract with town counsel was on a retainership and this year, the contract changed to billable hours,” Sarro said. “Every hour that they work on anything for the town gets billed at a rate.”
Swampscott has been dealing with a number of legal cases since the beginning of FY24. Two complaints filed by town employees with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination against Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald remain ongoing, as does a discrimination complaint filed by Fire Lt. Todd Seligman with Essex County Superior Court against Fitzgerald, the town, and Fire Chief Graham Archer. Aggregate Industries has taken the town to court over a restriction imposed on the maximum blasting decibels at its quarry in town. In April, the town settled with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn on an eminent-domain case after more than a year of litigation.
