{"id":1515,"date":"2023-02-09T19:59:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T23:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.otterlakecmc.ca\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2023-02-09T20:06:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T00:06:40","slug":"cmc-submits-budget-docs-and-approves-purchase-of-an-odour-monitoring-device","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.otterlakecmc.ca\/?p=1515","title":{"rendered":"CMC submits budget docs and approves purchase of an odour monitoring device"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

The CMC has approved its proposed $79,000 2023-2024 budget<\/a>, ratified its reduced $70,000 budget for 2021-2022, down $20,000 from the initial $90,000 estimate, and submitted the documents to Andrew Philopoulos, Halifax Regional Municipality\u2019s Director, Solid Waste Resources.<\/p>\n

The actions were taken at a Jan. 25 virtual meeting of the CMC.<\/p>\n

At the same meeting, the CMC approved purchase of a Nasal Ranger, expected to cost about $4,400 CND. The hand-held device made by a Minnesota company, St. Croix Sensory Inc., is a field olfactometer that allows users to measure the strength of odours with precision. By quantifying the strength of an odour, comparisons over time become possible, making for reliable monitoring. The device will be used to monitor offensive odours originating at the Otter Lake Landfill that affect residents and properties within the five-kilometer radius of the site.<\/p>\n

The CMC\u2019s budget documents are posted here for public viewing. The discrepancy between the overall amounts for the current and next fiscal years are explained in the background notes to the 2022-2023 operating budget.<\/p>\n

The budget for the current fiscal year, originally set at $90,000, was effectively reduced by half, last April, when the CMC was put under review by the HRM Regional Council. During the process, the organization was restricted to spending half its budget with the understanding that the full amount might be restored, subject to satisfactory negotiations to revise the 1999 agreement that created the CMC. Successful negotiations did take place over the summer and fall between HRM and the Halifax Waste Resources Society (HWRS), the founding community parent organization of CMC.<\/p>\n

During that period, the CMC had to curtail some of its activities, including publication of CMC newsletters in the Masthead.\u00a0 After negotiations were concluded, the CMC\u2019s 2022-2023 budget was restored to $70,000 \u2014 $20,000 less than the initially anticipated $90,000, due to the restricted spending placed on the CMC in the first part of the fiscal year.<\/p>\n

Negotiated changes in the 1999 agreement, which go into effect April 1, 2023, are reflected in the proposed budget for the current fiscal year and flagged in the document\u2019s notes.<\/p>\n

New elements in the 2023-2024 operating budget include:<\/p>\n