Library Expansion Project - $566,000 over the amount approved at referendum

YES. it was the Republican led Council that brought the Library renovation and expansion project to referendum at a cost of $1.7m – with just $850k to Coventry taxpayers because of the $850,000 State Library matching grant. This was over 5 years after Lisa Thomas, the prior Town Council Chairwoman, presented what she described as a complete and vetted proposed Library project at $6.7 m in November 2015 at the first meeting of the new Republican led Town Council. Lisa Thomas asked that the $6.7m project be brought to referendum. The Democrats continued to push the project and saw the Library project failed to pass at referendum at a cost of $5.4m in 2017 and again by 2 to 1 in a referendum in 2018, when they supported it as a $4.9m project. Republicans right sized this project and maximized the use of the State Library grant while minimizing Coventry taxpayers’ costs and brought a very conservative project to the taxpayers for them to decide whether to move forward or not.

We KNOW under the democrat led Town Council the cost of this project has ballooned to $2,266,319. This is $566,000 more than Coventry taxpayers approved and includes an additional $271,000 more of taxpayers’ funds – WITH NO INPUT from our taxpayers. There are

ongoing projects to add parking spaces and upgrade the HVAC which will increase these numbers.

Library Sales Agreement

YES. Republicans fought hard to prevent Lisa Thomas and the Democrat Council from entering into a terribly flawed Sales Agreement with the Library Board, to facilitate the sale of the Library to the Town.

We KNOW Lisa Thomas and the Democrat Council signed the sales agreement, with the Library Board, that has given the unelected Library Board, and not the Town Council, the right to dictate how the Library will be run going forward. They also gave, the unelected Library Board the right to take Coventry into Court, if THEY are not satisfied with budget that the Town Council approves, and then the Library Board can take back possession of the building. The prior Republican led Council had been developing a new agreement, with the Library Board,that would have protected the Town and our taxpayers. The new agreement was not completed prior to the 2021 election. Lisa Thomas, and the new Democrat majority Council, completely ignored the previous Council’s work and concerns and those of our current Republican members of the Council. They stubbornly refused to make necessary changes to the 2018 Purchase and Sale agreement, that was associated with the failed Library expansion referendum in 2018. The Town Attorney told the Town Council that they certainly could make any changes they wished prior to signing this agreement. Lisa Thomas and the Democrat Council ignored all warnings and criticism and signed the agreement. The Democrats supported this special interest group (Library Board) over future Coventry Town Councils and abandoned our taxpayers’ interests.