Montague council votes unanimously in favour of amalgamation plan
'I want to make sure that we have the gas tax funding to look after those assets down the road'
Montague town council has voted to go along with a mediator's plan for the Three Rivers amalgamation.
Council voted unanimously in favour of the motion at a town council meeting Monday evening.
- As Three Rivers mediation talks begin, residents look for a way in
- 3 things about Three Rivers: What you need to know about amalgamation Down East
Though the town voted down the amalgamation plan back in February, this time around the plan was helmed by a mediator and, after that process, council now feels the town got a fair deal.
"The first go-around where council voted against it, it didn't address the taxes like we wanted. It didn't address the issues of staff where we wanted, it didn't address the issues of gas tax," Coun. Jim Bagnall said.
"This has all been ironed out in mediation."
The compromise includes tax cuts for Montague residents and businesses.
Residential taxes will fall from 68 cents to 39 cents and commercial tax will drop from 88 cents down to 75 cents, Bagnall said.
'It worked for the Town of Montague'
The reason council voted down the plan months ago, Bagnall said, was because there were "a lot of issues in the original" that they weren't happy with.
"We did a document with 16 items on it that we went and fought out in mediation," he said. "Once we got that, it worked for the Town of Montague."
Some of those concerns, Coun. Debbie Johnston said, included the Kings County Memorial Hospital and its emergency room, employee security, clarification on water and sewer issues as well as gas tax revenue.
"We have about $12 to $15 million worth of assets in the Town of Montague, and I want to make sure that we have the gas tax funding to look after those assets down the road," Johnston said.
"As well, I am concerned about our hospital. We all did agree to include a clause in that settlement to work on keeping the Kings County Memorial Hospital open as well as our emergency room."
Georgetown council did not vote on the matter at their meeting on Monday evening.
The mayor there says the item was shelved for procedural reasons related to voting rules at council meetings, and added that a special council meeting will be called to get the vote done.
More P.E.I. news
With files from Brian Higgins