By Andy Smith
COVENTRY, R.I. -- A court ruling issued Friday by Superior Court Judge Brian P. Stern transfers the responsibility for the future of the beleaguered Central Coventry Fire District from a court-appointed special master to a new seven-member board of directors that will be elected June 29.
Stern authorized the new board to formulate a new budget for the district, taking into account its outstanding debts, and recommend a tax levy to the voters.
He gave the board the authority to negotiate or renegotiate contracts and agreements, including with the firefighters union, and also requested that the board come up with a contingency plan should the taxpayers reject a new budget.