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Coventry residents urge changes as council advances land‑trust ordinance
Summary
Town and Land Trust leaders praised creating a formal land trust but asked the council to keep seven trustees, allow an ex‑officio parks & rec designee, clarify budget and appraisal authority, and narrow employee‑service restrictions; council agreed to revise the draft and continue the ordinance to the December meeting.
The Coventry Town Council on Nov. 12 heard detailed public comment and municipal legal guidance on a proposed land‑trust ordinance that would formally define the town’s relationship with the volunteer Coventry Land Trust.
Jenna O’Dell, chair of the Coventry Land Trust, told the council the group manages about 700 acres and asked the council to retain seven voting trustees rather than reduce membership to five. She also urged that parks and recreation be added as a nonvoting ex‑officio position, that the ordinance not categorically bar all town employees from serving, and that the trust have streamlined authority to commission appraisals when pursuing acquisitions.
“None of us are paid,” O’Dell said. “We manage about 700 acres throughout this town… the more people we have to do the work, the better.” She asked that disposition or sale of land be governed by clear criteria and proposed a two‑thirds trustee vote rather than a unanimous requirement for certain actions.
Solicitor Angel, who assisted with drafting the ordinance, said the town’s land‑trust rules are shaped by state statute and case law and that many items O’Dell raised are political rather than legal decisions. Angel said the planning director and parks‑and‑rec director typically serve as nonvoting ex‑officio members and recommended building budget‑and‑accountability language into the ordinance so the land trust can order appraisals while remaining financially accountable to the council.
Council members agreed the questions raised are important. Several members said they support keeping the trust’s membership large enough to handle the workload and consistent language to avoid conflicts of interest. Solicitor Angel advised that any substantive changes to create a new waiver mechanism for impact‑fee decisions or similar policy items would require re‑advertising the ordinance, so the council voted to continue the land‑trust ordinance to the first December meeting to allow written revisions and appropriate notice.
Next steps: the council directed staff and the solicitor to draft the suggested edits (membership count, ex‑officio designation, appraisal and budget procedures, and sale‑disposition criteria) and bring the revised ordinance back for re‑advertisement and public hearing in December.
