Council looks to fill board seats

Article from Todays Kent County Times. Please consider applying for one of these board positions.

Council looks to fill board seats

Wednesday, 30 September 2009
HANNAH PIECUCH


COVENTRY — The Town Council is seeking applicants for the assessment board of review, the Pawtuxet River authority, the redevelopment agency, the sewer assessment board, the Coventry land trust, and the personnel board, as they announced at their Monday night council meeting.

In addition, they are seeking to fill remaining seats on the juvenile hearing board, the planning commission, and the charter review commission, said Council President Raymond Spear. There were not enough people to even establish the charter review commission, he said, which takes nine people, and there is one space left on both the juvenile hearing board and the planning commission.Applications are due by Oct. 7 to the Town Clerk. The application form is available at the town hall and also online at town.coventry.ri.us.

Assessment Board of Review
There is one opening on the assessment board, according to Chairperson James J. O’Connor, belonging to a resident from District 2. This board reviews appeals made after property is revaluated every three years, O’Connor said. They are the last resort of a resident who believes that his property has been over or under valued. Currently, the board has several members with experience in real estate, O’Connor said, “There is currently a real estate broker on the board and I’m a certified real estate appraiser.” But real estate experience isn’t as essential as common sense, he added. “By the same token you don’t have to have all those qualifications. A lot of times there’s a very practical thinking individual who is a home owner in the area who is very helpful on our board.”

Pawtuxet River Authority
Established by Rhode Island General Laws, Chapter 46-24, the authority is composed of residents from Coventry, West Warwick, Scituate, Warwick, and Cranston. As the advisory board to the non-profit agency, the board works with the Pawtuxet River authority and watershed council to strive to improve the land quality of the river and keep its waters safe for wildlife and recreation, according to the authority’s Web site. The board meets monthly within the participating communities through which the Pawtuxet River passes.No board member was reached for comment, however more information about the authority can be found at www.pawtuxet.org.

The Redevelopment Agency
This agency is tasked with overseeing tax incremental financing projects in Coventry, according to Town Planner Paul Sprague, who was acting town manager at the time that the agency was established by the previous town council.The town council established the redevelopment committee by resolution in September 2007, according to Resolution 115-07-2822.According to state law, if a town wants to establish a tax incremental financing area, then they need a redevelopment agency to oversee it, Sprague said. Part of what they do is locate blighted areas within a town that would be ideal for redevelopment.In 2007, both the Harris Mill area and the Brookside Center were established as tax incremental financing areas, Sprague said.Over the last year, the agency has been inactive, Sprague confirmed. The council is looking to fill one expired position on the five-member board.

Sewer Assessment Board
This three-member board hears appeals from taxpayers when they are charged a sewer assessment that they do not feel is equitable, according to Town Manager Thomas R. Hoover. The cost to hook up to a sewer in town is over $1,200, Hoover said, and the amount can be paid over time. If a homeowner feels that this fee is unwarranted, they can appear before the board and file their grievance. If the board does not feel that the appeal is warranted, the resident can appeal to the Rhode Island Superior Court.

Coventry Land Trust
The land trust was established in 1999 to “promote preservation of Coventry’s rural, rustic and historic character that defines the town,” according to the land trust Web site. The stated mission of the land trust is to acquire, preserve and protect Coventry’s open space for future generations, conserve and protect environmentally sensitive lands and natural resources, educate residents and the general public regarding the need for land and resource conservation, recommend to the town council those properties which meet the goals and objectives for land preservation.There are two openings on this seven-member board, according to the town clerk.The leadership of the trust could not be reached for comment, but more information is available at www.town.coventry.ri.us/landtrust.htm.

Personnel Board
This board only meets as needed, Hoover said. The three-member board was established in accordance with the town charter and they meet to recommend rules and regulations for practices and procedures in the administration of the personnel system of the town. “Members cannot be already elected officials or employees,” he said, “and there can be no more than two members of the same political party.”This board does not meet very often because the town has a set of rules right now, Hoover said, but the board needs to be in place in the case that a personnel disagreement comes up. At that time the board will meet, make a decision, submit it to the town manager, and subsequently to the council. All three positions on the board are currently open.