Coventry council promises communication

With a newly elected council in action over the last month, members have agreed to goals and priorities for the next two years.

The council unanimously passed its goals and priorities Monday, setting guidelines councilmen intend to follow during their term.

Councilmen initially gathered during a special meeting Dec. 2, which Councilman Lisa Thomas said was a “good session” to create a draft set of goals.
In the document, the council established a covenant with residents to listen and communicate during deliberations.

“We cannot promise to be all things to all people, but we will promise to communicate the ‘why’s’ of our decisions and to encourage people to ask questions,” the document states.

The council also said its mission is to “promote and support a high quality of life” in town, including providing “excellent customer service” to residents and protecting town assets.

Among its financial goals, the council said it wanted to present “fair and equitable” spending plans that “reflect a balance of competing priorities” to residents.

To do so, the council said it intends to work with the school board and seek grants and opportunities to regionalize services to reduce costs.

The council also stated it wants to support agricultural businesses in town, including the Coventry Farmers Market, and preserve open space while encouraging economic development and tourism.

Improving the town’s infrastructure was another council goal.

Councilmen said they wanted to “oversee and monitor” the progress of numerous projects every few months.

The council said it wants to monitor plans for new town garage, including finalizing a land acquisition and building a new salt shed, the expansion of the North Coventry Fire Department and several road projects.

Quality of life was also addressed, as the council said it intends to look for alternative housing opportunities, including multi-family and “workforce” housing.

The council also said it wanted to seek grant opportunities for a potential preschool and look for ways to increase recreation space and trails in town.

Councilmen said they plan to revisit the goals and priorities, which will be published in the town’s next newsletter at the end of 2010.