BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – The town and village boards have split an $8,900 bill to keep Canton’s Comprehensive Plan on the right path.

At a joint meeting Thursday night, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was finalized stating the village will pay the town their portion of $4,450 toward the contract with MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, Clifton Park, the firm hired to assist both boards in the overview process of the intermunicipal comprehensive plan adopted Oct. 7, 2019.

“The Town and Village have identified the need for assistance in advancing the Plan implementation and oversight. Since MJ Engineering and Land Surveying P.C. assisted the Town and Village to facilitate the preparation of the adopted Plan, MJ is uniquely qualified to assist in its implementation,” the MOU reads.

The plans included multiple recommendations to implement the consensus-based vision established in the Plan. One priority recommendation included the establishment of a Comprehensive Plan Oversight Committee to guide the Plan implementation efforts.

In October 2022, both boards agreed they needed help with the implementation aspect of the comprehensive plan and soon reached out to Jackie Hakes, the director of planning services for M.J. Engineering to discuss hiring the firm to assist in the overview process.