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Coventry council adopts ordinance formally establishing municipal land trust
Summary
The Town Council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance No. 2024‑6 creating a municipal land trust, formalizing ownership and addressing liability; council kept language requiring council approval for appraisal costs but allowed staff to conduct appraisals without a separate public hearing process.
The Coventry Town Council on an unspecified date adopted Ordinance No. 2024‑6 to formally establish a municipal land trust intended to hold town property and reduce liability associated with unincorporated trust activity. The ordinance had been introduced previously and returned to the council for public hearing and a final vote.
President Hillary Lima explained the change as a formalization of an existing practice: “So, essentially, this is giving us an official land trust,” she said, noting the town previously held property informally and that the ordinance aligns ownership with the trust structure.
Councilmembers and staff discussed a line in the draft that required all funds released for land acquisition — including appraisal costs — to be subject to the public hearing process. Planning‑related staff said they did not intend that routine appraisals would require the two‑week advertisement; the council left language that appraisals require council approval but clarified that the administrative appraisal process does not automatically trigger a separate public hearing requirement.
After brief discussion the council moved to approve the ordinance. The clerk recorded a roll‑call vote that carried (6 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative) and the ordinance was adopted.
Next steps: the ordinance will be added to the town code and staff were directed to finalize related administrative processes for the Land Trust and to coordinate any outstanding MOU or signage work with the Land Trust and Historic Preservation Commission.
