The Coventry Town Council agreed to bring forward a resolution to hire CLA’s forensic accounting team to review invoices and agreements associated with the town’s former solicitor.

Luke, a manager in CLA’s forensic and litigation investigations practice, told the council CLA would compare contracts and invoices, bucket hours by task, and review available public records, recordings and invoices. He emphasized limitations: CLA can review town‑controlled records but cannot access a private calendar or a private email account without voluntary production or legal process, and the firm does not provide legal determinations about whether billed hours were reasonable. “Without getting his personal access to his calendar, which would only be done through litigation or if he submitted [it] voluntarily, we would not be able to get his calendar,” Luke said.

Council members debated scope and cost. CLA provided a range of possible engagement sizes and said its work is billed hourly; candidates for a limited review were described in the meeting as “roughly $40,000,” with a fuller review nearer $70,000 in prior estimates, though Luke said final cost depends on document volume. Some council members urged caution because CLA is a financial‑forensics firm rather than a law firm and thus cannot offer privileged legal analysis. Councilwoman Capaldi said she believed the town already has evidence that some charges were inappropriate; other council members urged staged check‑ins to control costs and to evaluate whether to proceed to a criminal or civil referral if anomalies appear.

Councilman Houle moved to place a resolution on the next council meeting agenda to hire CLA for the extended audit with biweekly check‑ins and a not‑to‑exceed cap of $50,000; Vice President Brown seconded. The council approved putting the resolution on the next meeting agenda by roll‑call vote (7–0). A formal vote to enter the contract will occur after the resolution is introduced and any drafting edits are made.