Mayor Don Darling speaks at a town hall event put on by him and several fellow councillors on October 15, 2019. (Photo: Brad Perry)
Residents of the Saint John area got a first-hand look at the city’s financial situation Tuesday night.
Mayor Don Darling and several councillors hosted a town hall event at the New Brunswick Museum.
Darling started by giving an overview of the city’s current finances. He then outlined more than 60 ideas staff are considering to address the structural deficit in 2021 and 2022, which is estimated to be $11 million each year.
“The objective tonight isn’t to piss a bunch of people off,” Darling told the roughly 50 people in attendance.
The ideas include tolls on city streets for non-residents, higher parking rates, cuts to community grants, freezing salary and wage budgets, selling the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, and reducing winter street and sidewalk maintenance.
Darling said he thinks some of the ideas should come into effect for the 2020 budget instead of waiting until 2021.
“This is desperate,” he said.
I’m here at the New Brunswick Museum, where Mayor Don Darling and council are holding a town hall on the city’s financial situation. Staff tell me more than 100 people have registered. #SaintJohn pic.twitter.com/mLDivezgHc
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) October 15, 2019
Bob Davidson, a labour analyst with the New Brunswick Police Association, said tax reform is the big issue and council shouldn’t download the problem onto citizens.
Darling said tax reform remains a council priority but added it is up to the province to make it happen.
The mayor also said the city cannot simply cut costs to address the structural deficit, adding the problem will return until expenses balance.
Bev Gaston, a former mayor of Doaktown who now lives in Saint John, agreed.
“I think the idea of balancing revenue with cuts is important,” said Gaston. “You just can’t cut your way to prosperity. We have to find a way to produce revenue.”
Debbie McCormack said she thinks it is important residents understand the mayor and council cannot do this alone.
“It’s all hands on deck,” said McCormack. “This is the time where citizens need to really wake up and understand that we are in a crisis, not to be fear-mongering, but to understand that this is a critical time.”
McCormack said citizens need to be educated so they can present the facts to their local MLAs to help push the agenda forward.
Darling starts off by giving attendees a high-level overview of the city’s current financial situation and some of the steps they’ve taken to address it.
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) October 15, 2019
Speaking after the event, Darling said he was pleased with the turnout and the conversation.
“I thought it was a very engaged group who clearly care about their city, who want to be part of the solution to help us get through this,” he said. “They’re really just saying, ‘tell us what to do, how can we help.'”
Darling said they hope to engage residents more about the budget over the coming weeks.
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