TOWN FEES
For a listing of various Town fees, select the link below.
TOWN BUDGETS AND AUDITS
GRAND BAY-WESTFIELD BUDGET AND TAX RATES
Each year, Town Council approves the General Operating Budget and Sewerage Operating Fund Budget.
The Town of Grand Bay-Westfield remains committed to financial transparency and accountability to our residents while meeting the needs of the community, and ensuring the Town’s Strategic Priorities are met.
The Town continues to be resilient and fiscally responsible. However, external and internal financial pressures also continue to impact the costs in providing required services to the community.
Examples include:
Cuts to community grant funding by the Province;
Transition of snow and ice control services to an in-house model;
Dramatic increase in asphalt pricing;
Inflationary impacts on fleet maintenance; and
Increase in Fundy Regional Service Commission costs.
WHY ARE WARDS 1 AND 2 TAX BILLS CALCULATED DIFFERENTLY?
The Province provides guidelines on the allocation of costs between Wards 1 and 2. During the Local Governance Reform process, 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:
- Administration and Legislative, Fire-Rescue Department, Planning, RCMP and Recreation.
The costs for the shared services are allocated to Wards 1 and 2, based on their share of the total tax base of Grand Bay-Westfield.
Background: On January 1, 2023, as part of the provincial Local Governance Reform process, the new local government of Grand Bay-Westfield was formed. It includes the former Town of Grand Bay-Westfield (Ward 1) and a portion of the former Local Service District of Westfield West focused on areas along and off Brittain Road and Campbell Road (Ward 2).
HOW IS YOUR TAX BILL DETERMINED?
Each year, the Town determines the total budget required to provide services to the community including Administration and Legislative, Emergency, Planning, Public Works and Recreation – to name a few.
This budget is funded/financed through property tax billing, which is based on the assessed values of homes and other properties. The total of these assessed values within a municipality, make up what is known as the tax base.
The budget is divided into the tax base to produce a tax rate. This tax rate is then used to determine individual tax bills.
2024 TAX RATES
| Ward 1 | Ward 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Tax Rate | 1.31 | 0.6759 |
| Non-Residential Tax Rate | 2.227 | 1.1490 |
ABOUT THE SEWERAGE OPERATING FUND BUDGET
The Council of the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield, as part of the 2024 Budget process, approved an increase in sewer user unit rates from $350 to $370, effective January 1, 2024.
The increase for 2024 is reflective of increases in energy costs and the need to increase the reserves held by the utility. Legislation requires utilities to be self-sustaining. Without an increase to the user rate, the system would run a deficit which does not comply with legislation.
As part of the 2024 Budget process, Town Administration prepared a 5-year Budget projection with the goal of providing greater visibility on future finances with the aim of increasing cash reserves from $100,000 to $1.2M by 2029. To ensure the long-term financial resilience of the utility, it is critical that there are adequate cash reserves. As an example, in 2022, a capital project was deferred as there were insufficient funds in reserve to fund the work required.
RESOURCES
Visit HERE for property assessment information from Service New Brunswick on:
Understanding your notice;
Understanding how property is valued;
How property assessment information is used; and
About NB Property Assessment.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS RELATED TO THE TOWN’S BUDGET?
For any questions, comments or concerns regarding the Town of Grand Bay-Westfield Budget, please contact:
John Enns-Wind
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Grand Bay-Westfield
Email: administration@towngbw.ca
Phone: (506) 738-6400
