Should MNBP Secede From Bruce County?
By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press
Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula held a Council Meeting on Jan 29, primarily to review the municipality’s 2024 budget for operations expenses.
Item after item required a budget increase without drawing comment from Council, Councillor Smokey Golden jumped in to make a point.
Maybe I’m out of order, she began, but there’s an elephant in the room. Every item seems to require more money — are we looking at any of these? We haven’t agreed on a tax increase — should we go back and look at it? Or do we just roll through it all and then circle back? Or are we not having that conversation at all? A 7% mill rate increase is hefty for our ratepayers.
Mayor Milt McIver agreed that 7% is high, but pointed out that it doesn’t keep up with the cost increases the municipality is facing. The largest component of the budget is roads and prices have gone up 50 to 65% on aggregate. Every municipality is in this boat, he continued; trying to maintain services and infrastructure without increasing taxes by 25%. It depends on where you want to go with your infrastructure — do we want to cut back?
Public Works Manager Troy Cameron confirmed that “everything is increasing”. He noted that there will be an increase this year in brushing, to cope with all the ash trees that have been killed by emerald ash borer. Many of them are dangerous, he continued, overhanging houses and wires. Some are beyond staff’s abilities and require hiring a bucket truck. As Mayor McIver pointed out, maintenance on loose-top roads has gotten much more expensive. This year, Manager Cameron anticipates a substantial increase in the cost of dust-suppressant. There are only two suppliersand one of them has no stock. He hopes that gravel prices will level out this year but winter materials and supplies have gone up 23%; the snow plough contract went up 48%.
Mayor McIver stated that for the long-term, our roads budget is not near where it should be. And it’s not just gravel roads; we’re falling behind on the hard-top roads too. He noted that we are falling behind even with reference to 2021-22 cost estimates and all costs have risen since then. We need to keep an eye on things to avoid falling way behind. The increase projected for this year is good, but it won’t get us any improvements — we need to do more. It’s the same with facilities, he continued. If we decide to actually do some work, we don’t have a lot of money set aside. The way costs have increased over the last three years, we’re falling behind on our facilities as well. The Lion’s Head Arena is not the only project that will need attention. It does not serve us or our residents well not to do these. “I think we should be putting more money away for our facilities. I know it’s not a popular thing to say but it’s reality. Before we finish our budget exercise, we need to look at this. We have got to put money aside.” He recognized that “we can’t do it all in one year,” but insisted that we need to set money aside every year to maintain and upgrade our facilities.
Councillor Golden replied that we do not have a strong base, that a lot of people are struggling financially. She predicted an increase in people not paying their taxes, indicating that they are being overtaxed. We have to remind ourselves who is paying these taxes; she complained that our tax base is being reduced as “conservation groups keep buying all our properties”.
Mayor McIver argued that the municipality needs to meet the expectations of residents and that policy should cater to the majority. “We brag about having the lowest tax rate — but should we?” Everything else goes up in price and people have to find the money.
Deputy Mayor Rod Anderson agreed that the municipality has to keep up its infrastructure and services and that tax increases follow behind. He then added a very different perspective on potential solutions: “Should we sit down and do a cost/benefit analysis of what it means to be in Bruce County?”
There was a moment of stunned silence around the table.
“It might be a starting point towards getting a few more bucks,” he suggested.
Councillor Golden pointed out that there is a motion being prepared to ask the government of Canada to assist with our fire and emergency services. We need to look at the federal and provincial agencies that are costing us; “We need them to contribute.”
Deputy Mayor Anderson agreed that there were issues with all three senior levels of government but zeroed in again on the county. “Is it costing us a lot of money to be in Bruce County?”
Councillor Golden agreed that “we could do a lot here with that $8 million”. (MNBP taxpayers will contribute approximately $8 million to Bruce County this year.)
Deputy Mayor Anderson ended his suggestion with a caution — demanding a renegotiation with Bruce County “is not something that should be taken lightly and we would need to have our ducks in a row.”
