Published: January 16, 2023 @ 4:00 p.m.
Due to the provincial Local Governance Reform, the 2023 budget process for many municipalities in New Brunswick was different than previous years.
The 2023 budget for Grand Bay-Westfield was prepared with input from Council, Administration, the Transition Facilitator and the Local Service District Manager of the former LSD of Westfield West before being approved by the Minister of Local Governance Reform in December.
The Province provided guidelines on the allocation of costs between Ward 1 and Ward 2. It was identified that some services residents receive are unique to the Ward they reside in, while some services benefit residents in both Wards. All Town provided services were reviewed and deemed either local to each Ward, or shared by both Wards.
Examples of local services include:
- Ward 1 – Transportation (roads, sidewalks, streetlights)
- Ward 2 – Garbage collection and disposal
Examples of shared services include:
- Fire-Rescue Department, RCMP, Administration, Recreation, Environmental Development and Emergency Management.
The costs for the shared services were allocated to Ward 1 (88.4%) and Ward 2 (11.6%), based on their share of the total tax base of Grand Bay-Westfield.
The local and shared costs for each Ward were then totaled and divided by the tax base to determine the tax rate for each Ward.
2024 TAX RATES
| Ward 1 | Ward 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Tax Rate | 1.31 | 0.6759 |
| Non-Residential Tax Rate | 2.227 | 1.1490 |
The Province also provided guidance that tax rates for new Wards could only increase five (5) cents; however, any new legislative costs and the costs associated with the Regional Service Commission would be paid for by both Wards 1 and 2 outside of the five (5) cent increase.
The resulting tax rate for Ward 2 of $0.6024 represents a $0.1118 increase from 2022. This increase is comprised of $0.05 for shared and local costs, $0.0131 for new legislative costs and $0.0487 for the Fundy Regional Service Commission.
A summary of the budget follows.
For any questions, comments or concerns regarding the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield 2023 budget – please contact:
John Enns-Wind
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Grand Bay-Westfield
Email: administration@towngbw.ca
Phone: (506) 738-6400
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Town Contact Information
Phone: (506) 738-6400 (Option 3 for after-hours urgent matters)
Email: administration@towngbw.ca
In-person: 609 River Valley Drive, Monday to Friday (excluding holidays), 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Register for Grand Bay-Westfield Emergency Alerts
The Town of Grand Bay-Westfield encourages residents to register for the emergency alert system (CodeRED by OnSolve). This is to ensure that the Town can notify residents in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts. To register, visit here.
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