Sweeping was implemented for the first time since New Brunswick local government reformThe officials of the newly created local governments got the opportunity to assemble.
2023 Federation of Municipalities of New Brunswick Orientation Conference was held in FrederictonGo through all aspects of joining the council.
“We’ve just gone through a big change local government reformThat’s why we wanted to provide additional training for our new council members,” said Dan Murphy, Executive Director of the Municipalities of New Brunswick.
“We’ve got 205 participants here this weekend. Sixty percent of them are brand new, never sat on council before.
The two-day conference included sessions on working with constituents, running council meetings and property management.
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The newly reorganized local governments and rural districts were formally established on 1 January following elections held the previous November.
The changes dropped New Brunswick from 104 local governments and 236 local service districts to 78 local governments and 12 rural districts.
Among the new local governments is Maple Hills, located north of the city of Moncton.
Maple Hills Mayor Erica Warren said the governments are “starting from scratch” so there are still some things to figure out.
“We’re not ready to address some things right now because we’re starting from scratch, and our entire council hasn’t sat on municipal government,” Warren told Global News.
Maple Hills consists of four former local service districts. For Warren, whose council must lay the foundation of the municipality, networking with officers in a similar position has brought some relief.
“Once in a while, you listen and think, ‘Wow, I’m glad I’m not going through that,’ but other times you think, ‘Wow, this is what we’re going through,'” she said. Said.
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Even for some officials familiar with the council’s roles, the experience has meant some degree of growing pains.
Derek Pleadwell, formerly mayor of Gagetown Village, is now mayor of Arcadia.
“Arcadia is the size of Mississauga, but we don’t have the 880,000 people of Mississauga. We have, you know, north of 3,500 people,” Pleadwell said.
In the case of Arcadia, the Council is responsible for helping to acquaint former members of A. local service district With the role of a council.
“The important thing we do is correlating what this means for you: what does it mean for your tax rate? How quickly can we do this while still living and making our community vibrant?” Pleadwell explained.
During the reform phases, many communities saw pushback from residents who were not in favor of amalgamation. Noting that the public had no choice but to accede to the merger, Pleadwell said he could sympathize with those opposed.
“We didn’t choose it either, but we roll with it, and I’d rather be on the wave than be behind the wave,” Pleadwell said.
For many, the UMNB conference served as an opportunity to ask questions, take notes, and network. Yet Murphy said there are still questions he doesn’t have answers to, particularly around finances.
“(Municipalities) have to consolidate bylaws, they have to update municipal plans. There’s a lot of zoning work that needs to be done — you know, even re-branding,” he said.
“All of those things cost money, and municipalities have the least potential to generate revenue.”
Murphy is expected to speak with provincial officials about this before the spring budget.
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