Media Releases

Amherst Town Council April 22, 2024 – Meeting Highlights

April 26, 2024

At Amherst Town Council’s regular meeting on Monday night, three items were presented relating to residential development in town.

First reading was given to a development agreement for a 20-acre portion of 305 Church Street, to allow a residential development and to schedule a public hearing for Wednesday, May 15 – 5 p.m. in Council Chambers.

A Land Use By-law amendment for a re-zoning of 11 and 13 Industrial Park Drive was also given first reading. This motion states that zoning of the subject properties be changed from Highway Commercial to Mini Home Zone, and that a public hearing be paired with that mentioned above, on May 15.

With the purchase of the Marshview Drive property recently completed and an RFP now developed for real estate services, a number of additional decisions were made in order to continue with this project to create approximately 30 building lots for executive-style homes. Those include details such as lot price, minimum dwelling size, pedestrian access, and time limit for commencement of construction.

North Tyndal Land Acquisition Policy

Amendments were approved for the North Tyndal Land Acquisition Policy, which states that the Town will consider purchase of any lands within the wellfield protected zones as they become available. Changes more accurately describe the area being protected, ensure the Water Utility will be included in the consideration of acquisitions, and broaden the scope of potential lands for acquisition to include those “around” the protection zones. This policy has led to the acquisition of more than 1,100 acres of land in and around the wellfield over the last four years, which protects the town’s drinking water supply and also helps protect an important ecological connection between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Policy Amendments

As part of the process in developing the 2024/25 operational budget, staff reviewed the Salary Administration Policy and salary scales for non-union staff, which resulted in several revisions. The newly-approved Salary Administration Policy includes changes that will make adjustments to the overall salary grid as well as adjust the salary ranges for the Building Official, Directors, Fire Inspector and Municipal Clerk positions per the market review that was completed as part of this review process.

These revisions, impacting approximately 50 employees, will result in an additional cost of $44,590, which has been accommodated within the 2024/25 operating budget.

Council also amended the Maternity, Adoption and Parental Leave Policy. Since the last review of this policy in 2007, there have been significant legislative changes for employees entitled to leave to care for newborn or adopted children, making much of the language and provisions in the existing policy obsolete and inaccurate. This review was completed to ensure we are in compliance with legislation, to align with best practices observed in other municipalities, but to also underscore our commitment to positioning ourselves as a progressive and inclusive employer by supporting our employees during pivotal moments of their personal lives. A major component of this review is to provide at 52-week “top up” to the government sponsored maternity benefit. 

Amherst Junior A Ramblers Agreement

Ahead of the current agreement’s expiry on July 31 of this year, Town staff and members of the Ramblers executive have negotiated the terms of a new three-year agreement, setting out responsibilities of the Town and the Ramblers. One notable change in the new agreement states that, should the Town construct a new community centre, this agreement will terminate upon the opening of the new facility and a new agreement will be negotiated. The new contract will commence on August 1, 2024.

Code of Conduct

Following a reported breach in the Code of Conduct for Elected Municipal Officials policy, Council issued a formal sanction to the Councillor involved. Corrective action will require a hand-written apology letter be delivered to the affected employees, as well as a two-month abstention from any Committees of Council meetings – except for Committee of the Whole, Council, and Audit Committee.

Asphalt Patching

The recently-approved 2024-25 operating budget includes an amount for contracted asphalt patching services, and a tender was issued for which two responses were received before the April 12 closing date. Council has awarded the asphalt patching tender to the lowest compliant bidder, Costin Paving (Dexter Construction), at their unit prices in the amount of $408,410 plus HST.

Full details of the Council meeting are available on our website, in the agenda package.