Rothesay Town Hall. Image: Staff photo
Rothesay residents will likely see no change to their property tax rate next year.
The town’s $18.3-million operating budget for 2020 will see the tax rate stay at a dollar twenty four per $100 of assessed property.
“We were fortunate to have 2.8 per cent growth in our assessment base, and so we do not have to increase taxes to pay for that increase in the budget,” said Mayor Nancy Grant in an interview.
Grant says the town has been able to keep the tax rate the same for the past four years, due in part to steady growth.
“The residents can be assured that we are spending their money wisely,” she said,
“I’m sure there are many more things that we could be doing but you have to balance that against what it does to the tax rate, and I’m very pleased that we’re able to offer our residents no change in the tax rate.”
Grant says she’s proud that the town has been able to provide steady, low rates for residents.
“We have had some growth in our assessment base but Rothesay has always been very fiscally responsible,” she said.
While taxes and rates remain low, Grant says one of the biggest increases in their budget this year comes from the cost of fire and police.
She says those costs are rising at an unsustainable rate.
“The increased expenses are mainly in protective services which are very expensive. In our operating budget it’s increasing by 5.8 per cent, much more than anything else and certainly much more than our growth. This has become an issue for I think all municipalities,” she said.
She says other main operating expense comes in the form of transportation and road maintenance in the winter.
Big ticket capital items include a new tanker for the fire department, as well as the purchase of the Quispamsis Civic Centre as the permanent Station number 2.
There is also budgeted $1.2 million for street resurfacing.
Grant says much-needed upgrades to the Scrivener ball field has been budgeted for $500,000. She says they are thinking of moving the field to Wells, and making it large enough for 16 to 18 year-olds to play on.
On standby is a proposed waste water treatment plant for the town, which is awaiting funding from other levels of government. Grant says there is also $1 million set aside for a major sewer project in Turnbull Court.
The town’s utility fund is going up by 5.6 per cent in 2020 to $3.4 million, but Grant says there’s no increase in rates due to an influx of new users.
“The sewer rate in Rothesay is $370 annually and the typical single family home in Rothesay pays $880 a year for water plus sewer,” she said.
As for operating costs for Greater Saint John’s regional facilities, Grant says they’ve budgeted $451,000, which is up from this year’s $427,000.
Grant says new regional cost-sharing legislation won’t impact the town’s budget until 2021.
The town will pass the 2020 budget on December 9th.
