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Council approves Ramblewood Estates sewer connection amid questions about assessments and oversight
Summary
Council approved a sewer-connection resolution for Ramblewood Estates, which proposes 172 new laterals and an assessment package estimated at $1,940,039.30 if all connections are made; members requested clarification from the tax assessor about assessment formulas and expressed concerns about private-line liability and monitoring of future uses.
The Coventry Town Council voted to approve a sewer connection for Ramblewood Estates after extended discussion about assessment formulas, capacity and oversight.
Town engineering staff described the proposal as an 8-inch sewer-line extension with two small pump stations serving roughly 172 new laterals inside a mobile-home park that houses about 200 units. An informational memo in the council packet listed a total assessment of $1,940,039.30 if all connections occur.
Council members asked repeatedly how the assessment is calculated, what portion (if any) the town would absorb, and whether private laterals could create ongoing liability for the town. The town's engineer and town staff said the assessments would be calculated under existing sewer ordinances and that the private lateral work remains the applicant's responsibility; inspections by town staff will occur even if a lateral is privately owned.
Several members stressed the need to consult the tax assessor about the formula used to calculate assessments and about what happens if project connections fall short of the projected total; council members expressed frustration that the tax assessor was not present to answer these technical questions. "If that number drops to $800,000, what do we do?" one council member asked.
The council also approved a peer review on a separate Center of New England sewer matter and amended the funding line to charge the sewer enterprise fund rather than the town's revolving capital fund for a $6,000 line item.
What happens next: Staff will follow up with the tax assessor to clarify assessment calculations and will oversee inspections of private laterals once the connection is made; the council approved the connection but requested follow-up on betterment triggers and the assessment formula.
