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Coventry council approves amended resolution seeking exemption to state tax-rate cap amid public concern
Summary
The council voted to approve an amended resolution asking the General Assembly to allow the town to exceed the 50% statutory limit between class tax rates in a revaluation year; council replaced the phrase 'cash valuation' with 'full and fair assessed valuation' after questions from members and extensive public comment about potential impacts on farmers and homeowners.
Coventry — After extended discussion and public comment, the Town Council approved an amended resolution asking state lawmakers to permit the town to depart from the statutory rule that no one tax rate be more than 50% higher than another.
Director Sovetti told the council the change responds to preliminary revaluation numbers that show residential values rising more sharply (about 28 percent) than commercial values (about 16 percent). He said the town’s current class apportionment would be difficult to preserve under that scenario unless the town had explicit authority to set commercial and residential rates differently in reval years.
"One of the components of that law says that no one tax rate should be more than 50% higher than another tax rate," Sovetti said, summarizing the statutory constraint. He said the proposed local legislation would mirror approaches other towns have used to avoid shifting a disproportionate burden onto residential taxpayers after revaluation.
Several council members pressed on language in the draft. A council member objected to the term "cash valuation," describing it as imprecise and potentially problematic for taxpayers; the council then moved and passed an amendment to replace that phrase with "full and fair assessed valuation." The amendment carried by voice vote, and the amended resolution (2026‑46) passed later in the meeting.
Residents raised concerns during public comment that the resolution could affect open-space or farm-property taxation and warned that changes could push property owners to sell or stop maintaining parcels. Samantha Sargent, a resident, urged the council to rework the resolution, calling parts "underhanded" and arguing it could have unintended consequences for farms and open space. Director Sovetti responded in the meeting that the resolution would not change property valuation categories or how properties are classified; it seeks only flexibility to adjust class tax rates within state authorization.
The council approved the amended resolution and will forward it to state legislators for consideration. The town emphasized that passage at the municipal level is a signal to the General Assembly and that any actual change in tax-setting would require state authorization and additional administrative steps.
The council’s action does not itself change local tax rates; it seeks legislative permission to adjust tax-class apportionment in a revaluation year if the council later determines such a change is warranted.
