Town councillors in Antigonish have officially signed a deal to join the Eastern District Planning Commission.
Laurie Boucher, the town’s mayor, formally signed the three-year agreement after John Bain, the commission’s planning director, presented to town officials at June’s regular town council meeting Monday night.
The town is set to join the commission, which provides planning, subdivision and building inspection services to the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the counties of Antigonish, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria, July 2.
After the meeting, Boucher said it’s a growing organization, so it makes sense to work together and share services.
“The Municipality of the County of Antigonish were the last ones, before us, to come in and now we’re there,” she said. “The commission is actually growing- they’re adding more staff, they’re in the process of hiring another building inspector, and then they’re in the process of getting ready to put the advertisement in for another planner as well.”
Boucher said they’re excited to have Bain’s guidance, because they have a lot of developments coming up.
She said the three-year deal works well for everyone involved.
“One year, I don’t think, would be enough to have a good picture of what it could be, or what the possibilities (are) of being in the commission,” she said. “Three years is great for us- if it’s not working out from our perspective, we can bow out and look somewhere else.”
Boucher said commission members also have the same option at the end of the three years.
She said the town’s director of planning and fire inspector positions have been eliminated as part of the move, effective July 2.
