Town of Coventry Question 1 — Charter: appropriation approval threshold as a percentage of the tax levy (Capitol Planning Region)

Last updated Sat, Nov 7, 4:33 PM ET

Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Coventry Township voters

What it does
Shall Section 9-3(a) and 9-3(e), which are proposed to be renumbered as 7-3(a) and 7-3(d), be amended to adjust the threshold at which authorizations for appropriations, bonds or notes must be approved at a town meeting and/or referendum from a fixed dollar amount to a percentage of the current tax levy?
A YES vote means
Coventry's charter would set the threshold for when spending, bonds or notes need town meeting or referendum approval as a percentage of the current tax levy instead of a fixed dollar amount.
A NO vote means
The approval threshold would stay a fixed dollar amount.
Needed to pass
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Left–right lean
Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

On August 3, 2026 the Coventry Town Council voted 6–0 to approve the Charter Revision Commission's final amendments except the town-meeting threshold section (old 9-3(a), new 7-3(a)), then voted 4–2 to approve that section, with Councilors Mark Wheaton and Julie Blanchard opposed, according to the council's minutes.

Council Chair Lisa Thomas said past councils had been frustrated that the current dollar thresholds are based on 1991 dollars, and Councilor Jon Hand said the change shifts the dollar amount to a percentage of the tax levy so it adjusts over time, according to the August 3 minutes.

Wheaton and Blanchard said they agreed with switching to a percentage but considered the proposed 1% too high; Wheaton said he would be more comfortable with 0.25%, according to the minutes.

On August 31, 2026 the council voted 7–0 to adopt Resolution 2026-10 placing the charter changes on the ballot as two questions, with this section separated out, and directing the town clerk to prepare explanatory text, according to the special-meeting minutes.

Put on the ballot by Coventry Town Council, 7–0, August 31, 2026 (Resolution 2026-10).

From official source 1, official source 2, official source 3.

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on Town of Coventry Question 1 mean?
Coventry's charter would set the threshold for when spending, bonds or notes need town meeting or referendum approval as a percentage of the current tax levy instead of a fixed dollar amount.
What does a NO vote on Town of Coventry Question 1 mean?
The approval threshold would stay a fixed dollar amount.
How many votes does Town of Coventry Question 1 need to pass?
A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
Should I vote yes or no on Town of Coventry Question 1?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
When is the vote?
The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.

Not sure how to decide? Read our nonpartisan guide to the Capitol Planning Region ballot.

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