Greenwood: taxes stable, election a no-go, flood claim dries up

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

It will be status quo for the Village of Greenwood after the April 30 nomination deadline came and went - without any new candidates coming forward.

Incumbent Dan Hammood, whose seat on the commission will expire this year, once again threw his hat in the ring for another three-year term. At the April 16 meeting of the village commission, Hammood said he was wrestling with the idea of re-offering, adding he would have to consider family commitments before making any decision. In the absence of any other candidates, Hammood will be acclaimed to the position at the village’s annual general meeting being held May 13 at 7 p.m. at the Greenwood Civic Centre.

Holding the tax line

In preparation for the AGM, the village commission presented its proposed 2008/ 09 budget at its April meeting. The village’s anticipated assessment base of just over $128 million allowed commissioners to hold the line on the current respective residential and commercial tax rates of 21 cents and 22 cents per $100 of assessment. The commission will present its balanced operating budget of $303,000 for approval at the May 13 AGM.

Bridge Street work to come

Greenwood is waiting on the final report of the Bridge Street traffic study, commissioned by the province and presented to the public in mid-February.

Commissioner Al Belliveau expects the report will contain several suggestions to ease traffic concerns along the corridor between Greenwood and Kingston. He hopes signage and traffic light issues at the Baker’s Corner intersection of Bridge Street and Central Avenue will be rectified soon after the release of the report.

Flood claim going nowhere

A public meeting held in response to February flooding in Greenwood’s Fales River subdivision has not generated any additional documentation to create a combined community damage claim to the provincial or federal government.

Residents affected by the flooding were urged to drop off repair estimates and receipts for damage claim expenses at the village office. The village clerk reported, as of the April 19 meeting, no legitimate data towards a potential claim had been received.