Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procedural Quorum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coventry zoning board delays contested hearing after debate over alternates and quorum
Summary
After a protracted discussion about alternates and which members may vote on rehearings, the Coventry Zoning Board agreed to continue a contested application to its Oct. 2 meeting to ensure full-member consideration; the applicant’s attorney said expert costs and repeated continuances were a concern.
The Coventry Zoning Board voted on Oct. 2 to continue a contested application to the next hearing after members and counsel debated whether alternates who missed a prior hearing could count toward a later quorum.
Attorney Joseph Brennan, representing the applicant, told the board he was concerned about the expense of bringing experts to multiple hearings and asked whether testimony taken tonight would bind future votes if only four members were present. "We didn't get any notice that there would be a possible continuance, so that's a tough expense," Brennan said (Joseph Brennan, attorney for the applicant).
Board members and the board solicitor explained the board’s practice that members must be present for the original hearing to be part of a later voting group and that alternates’ voting rights depend on attendance and prior participation. The solicitor summarized the legal point: members who did not attend a hearing may not rely on a transcript to cast a vote on the matter later.
After discussion, a motion to continue the application to Oct. 2 was made and approved by voice vote. The board asked staff to give earlier notice of member availability in future to reduce repeat continuances. The motion does not decide the merits of the pending application; it schedules a new hearing allowing the applicant to present again before the full five-member panel if available.
The continuance preserves the record of testimony offered tonight for the applicant but also ensures absent members who want to participate live will have the opportunity to hear evidence in person at the next hearing.
Next procedural steps: the matter will be placed on the Oct. 2 agenda; the board encouraged the clerk to attempt earlier member confirmations so the applicant and any retained experts can plan accordingly.
