AMHERST - Amherst has moved a step closer to setting its strategic priorities.
Council approved a draft version of its strategic priorities during its January committee of the whole meeting last night and is expected to set them at its regular monthly meeting next Monday.
The priorities come from a one-day planning exercise in December that included senior staff and council.
"This is a very comprehensive document outlining 33 pages of actions for the next four years," Mayor Robert Small said after the meeting. "We have also identified seven more immediate priorities we wish to complete in the next year."
The town has set seven priorities it wants to complete this year including a review of municipal tax structure and the implementation of the regional marketing strategy and the town's communications strategy.
It also wants to establish and implement an economic development plan that would include a celebration of Amherst's 250th anniversary as a settlement and 125th as a town.
The town also wants to establish and implement a community development plan and an operations priority plan.
Finally it also wants to complete some infrastructure planning with the development of a new police facility, a West Highlands development plan for use of the Lions Park as the possible site of a new elementary school, developing a plan for the use and disposal of town-owned vacant buildings.
The town also wants to look at addressing flooding along areas of Dickey Brook.
