Common Council Shares Its Priorities For Next Four Years

Growing the city is the top priority for Saint John councillors over the next four years.

Common Council unveiled its priorities for 2021-2025 during Monday night’s meeting.

They want to increase the city’s population by two per cent each year, with an annual property tax base increase of three per cent by the end of the council’s term.

“These priorities reflect what we hear from the public and what we need to accomplish as a city to grow, prosper and serve our community,” said Mayor Donna Reardon in a statement.

“This is an exciting time for Saint John, and I am incredibly proud of what our City has to offer. Through our priorities, we have set our sights even higher to ensure that Saint John continues to be the community of choice for residents,” Reardon added.

Each member of council shared their thoughts, and Councillor David Hickey was excited to see growth at the top of the list.

“At the end of the day, most members of council have mention growth being a top priority because growth is what gets us out of the corner that we’ve been stuck, and is what gets us onto a solid financial footing.”

Councillor Joanna Killen was also excited to see growth topping the priority list.

“With making growth our top priority, we are hoping to generate enough of a nest egg not to just efficiently run our city but to actually see it thrive, so it was a major moment for us to come together and finally land on that one.”

Other priorities on council’s list include green practices, belonging, moving, and performing, and include a total of 23 initiatives.

City staff is in the process of developing the work plan that will move council’s priorities forward. The work plan will be presented to council at a later date.

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