It was six days into the existence of the new town of Tantramar before staff received the first budget for the town, and the document remains “incomplete” according to mayor Andrew Black. “It’s just a bunch of numbers,” said Black after a first Tantramar council meeting on Tuesday. “There’s no separation of services. There are some services that we know are shared services within our community, there’s some services that are local. But with just a number, we have no idea where we’re at,” said Black.
Black says that five different tax rates are listed in the budget document, but there’s no specifications about which rate applies to where. He says the budget is devoid of comments or explanation.
“We have requested more information as rapidly as possible,” said Black, so that he and town staff can, ”figure out where we stand, where everybody stands.”
As with the initial bylaws governing Tantramar, the first year’s budget was created by amalgamation facilitator Chad Peters. Though provincial deadlines for budget date back to mid-December, Tantramar staff did not get their first peek at the budget until Friday, January 6.
“We’re working with the province to receive what we’re calling the working documents,” said CAO Jennifer Borne on Tuesday. “Right now it kind of just gives a high level overview, so we’ll be working to kind of dig into each cost centre and get more information on line items.”
The budget for Tantramar will be complicated. “We’re blending five sub units,” says Borne, including two former incorporated municipalities, and three different local service districts. Borne says she expects to have more information to share in the coming weeks.
“I love that we’re left on our own now,” said Black. “I love that we have the authority to do what we’re supposed to do as a council. But at the same time when you’re when you start off on the on the wrong foot, it makes it difficult to get the work done.”
But Black is ever the optimist. “I don’t want to give the impression that it’s all dire,” he says. “I mean, the work is getting done. Town staff have been incredibly busy. And you know, we’ve had our first council meeting, now we can start getting some work done. I’m very, very optimistic. But it’s, it’s just been a little trying over the last week.”
CHMA reached out to the Department of Local Government for comment on the delays and lack of information in the Tantramar budget, and have yet to hear back.
