A proposal by the City of Saint John for a regional tax levy has not been well received by the outlying communities.
The city pitched the idea as part of its sustainability plan to recover some of the costs it incurs as a regional hub.
It said the levy, which the province would have to implement, could give the city an extra $8 million in revenue per year.
In exchange, the city said it would remove separate funding for economic development, regional facilities and various non-resident user fees and differential rates.
But the mayors of Quispamsis, Rothesay, Grand Bay-Westfield, Hampton and St. Martins quickly denounced the idea and called on the province to not consider the city’s request.
“We, as the outlying mayors, felt it very important that we sent a very strong message to the premier and to the province on our feelings,” said Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark during a council meeting Tuesday.
Local Government Minister Jeff Carr appears to have turned down the city’s request – at least for now.
“While the province is committed to maintaining our track record of support for the city, it strongly encourages the City of Saint John to take the required steps to demonstrate that it is prepared to address the foundational constraints that are holding it back from building a financially sustainable future,” said Carr in a letter to council Monday.
Carr also said the province will only reconvene the regional management task force when the city has “demonstrated substantial and measurable progress according to the steps outlined in its sustainability plan.”
Quispamsis councillor Sean Luck said everyone wants to see the region succeed, but cooperation is key to making that happen.
Luck said the town is prepared to cooperate with the city and other municipalities for the greater good of the region.
“We can’t go into a room and try to collaborate and figure out how we’re going to go forward, come out of the room and then say something different without telling the other players,” said Luck. “At the end of the day, this is about the success of our region and we are certainly in it for the long haul.”
Fellow councillor Pierre Rioux agreed. Rioux said they want to help Saint John become financially sustainable, but the approach has to be collaborative.
“What we’re looking for is negotiations that are of a common kind and respectful of each other’s position and to work from there,” said Rioux.
“I’m optimistic that the collaborative approach will work, with assistance from the province to maybe act as they’ve done up to this point as a mediator that we can come to some resolution of this.”
