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A $17.5-million operating budget, a $2.98-million capital budget and a slight increase in tax rates were approved by Amherst town council during a special session held on May 23.
“I feel extremely optimistic about the next year for the Town of Amherst,” Mayor David Kogon said. “This budget allows the town to complete necessary infrastructure projects while minimizing tax increases. The town is fortunate to be able to continue to deliver the level of services provided while minimizing tax increases even while the expenses of the town continue to be impacted by inflation on items like wages, energy costs and more.”
The new residential tax rate is $1.635 per $100 of assessment, up from $1.63. The commercial rate is $4.435 per $100 of assessment, up from $4.43. The small increase comes a year after council held the residential tax rate and decreased the commercial tax rate by two cents.
Amherst firefighters battled a multi-vehicle fire on May 21 that destroyed three 16-metre-long trailers, a half-ton pickup, a smaller trailer and damaged three other transport trailers.
The fire, in the parking lot of Gordon Food Service at 38 Industrial Park Dr., was reported at 8:06 p.m. The initial call was of a single-vehicle fire, but within the same minute it was updated to report several vehicles on fire.
Dense dark smoke, which billowed high into the sky, could be seen at least a kilometre away from the scene.
Mayor David Kogon proclaimed May 20 to May 26 VON week in the Town of Amherst moments before a VON flag was raised on May 18 to mark the occasion.
The flag will fly at the corner of Church and Albion streets until May 26.
In proclaiming the week, Kogon noted the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada is a national, charitable, non-profit, community-based health-care organization that addresses community health and social needs.
A $700,000 federal-provincial study that will examine the effects climate change and rising sea levels will have on transportation links crossing the Isthmus of Chignecto and offer solutions to protect them was warmly welcomed by Amherst Mayor David Kogon on May 14.
“This is great news,” Kogon said, moments after hearing Cumberland-Colchester MP Bill Casey announce the funding. “We’ve got to thank the provinces for making the application and the federal government for approving it.”
Kogon, Sackville Mayor John Higham and Cumberland County Warden Al Gillis have been calling on the two higher levels of government to act to protect the transportation links that connect Nova Scotia with the rest of the country from rising sea levels for several months.