Province Offers Fiscal Deal of a Lifetime
The Mayor of Cumberland is singing the praises of Bill 340, a revised cost sharing agreement between the Province and Nova Scotia’s 52 municipal units.
Murray Scott says he is excited about the more than fifty million dollar package. He added, “I never witnessed anything like this in my twelve years in the legislature.”
The mayor made the remarks this morning on Six Rivers Radio. He said, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t think we’ll see anything like this come along again.”
Bill 340 amends legislation struck more than 25 years ago. At the time, the Province bargained with municipalities to exchange service responsibilities, but it did so with an agreement that the give and take would be revenue neutral.
The new legislation — now before the House of Assembly — will add over fifty million to local government coffers.
Scott urged Cumberland Council to endorse the legislation and apply immediately to be part of it. Council agreed unanimously. So did the mayors of Amherst and Oxford, making it unanimous across the county.
The mayor says Cumberland was given special consideration among seventeen municipalities negatively affected by the core of the legislation. He says it levels the playing field to adjust for the impact from the dissolution of the former towns of Springhill and Parrsboro.
Scott says the province will extend the financial cushion for another five years, adding about $700 thousand per year to the municipal coffers. Add to that another $700 thousand per year for five years, to offset costs for public housing and corrections. The mayor says it adds up to more than six million dollars for Cumberland.
Scott says there were contentious issues in the package, but they were carved off and will be discussed further at a later date. Those issues centred on road ownership and maintenance, something Scott says most municipalities saw as onerous costs — pardon the expression — down the road.
The move is a significant adjustment to municipal responsibilities and sets communities on a path to equal financial footing.
The mayor says the hunt for money will never go away. Scott said, “We’ll always be asked for more money as a municipality. We’ll always ask the Province for more money and they will always ask the Feds for more money. That’s just the way it is, and we don’t always get what we want.”
Scott was co-chair of the committee that reviewed the cost sharing legislation. He represented the six mayors and four chief administrative officers from the Federation of Nova Scotia Municipalities. The Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, Paul LaFleche, was his counterpart representing the government.
Mayor Scott is a radio guest on Morning Talk every Thursday at 9:05.
Add your comments below.