For the first time since New Brunswick implemented sweeping local government reform, officials of newly created local governments had a chance to gather.
The 2023 Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick orientation conference, held in Fredericton, walked through the ins and outs of being on council.
“We’ve just undergone a huge change in local governance reform, so we wanted to offer extra training for our new council members,” said Dan Murphy, the executive director of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick.
“We’ve got 205 participants here this weekend. Sixty per cent of those are brand new, have never sat on council before.”
The two-day conference featured sessions on working with constituents, running a council meeting, and asset management.
Newly restructured local governments and rural districts were formally established on Jan. 1, following elections last November.
The changes dropped New Brunswick from 104 local governments and 236 local service districts to 78 local governments and 12 rural districts.
Among the new local governments is Maple Hills, which sits North of the City of Moncton.
Maple Hills Mayor Erica Warren said governments are “starting from scratch,” so there are still some things to figure out.
“We’re not ready to address some things yet because we are starting from the beginning, and our entire council has not sat on municipal government before,” Warren told Global News.
Maple Hills consists of portions of four former local service districts. For Warren, whose council must build the foundation of the municipality, networking with officials in a similar position has brought some relief.
“Once in a while, you hear and think, ‘Wow, I’m glad I’m not going through that,’ but other times you think, ‘Wow, that’s exactly what we’re going through,” she saidd.
Even for some officials familiar with the roles of council, the experience has meant growing pains to a certain degree.
Derek Pleadwell, formerly the mayor of the Village of Gagetown, is now the mayor of Arcadia.
“Arcadia’s pretty much the size of Mississauga, but we do not have the 880,000 people Mississauga has. We have, you know, just north of 3,500 people,” Pleadwell said.
In the case of Arcadia, council has been responsible for helping familiarize former members of a local service district with the role of a council.
“The important job we do is making that correlation for what does it mean for you: What does it mean for your tax rate? How quickly can we do it while remaining and making our community vibrant?” Pleadwell explained.
Throughout the stages of the reform, many communities saw pushback from residents who were not in favour with the amalgamations. Given that the public didn’t have a choice in merging, Pleadwell said he could sympathize with those opposed.
“We didn’t pick it either, but we roll with it, and I’d rather be on the wave than behind the wave,” Pleadwell said.
For many, the UMNB conference served as an opportunity to ask questions, take notes and network. Yet Murphy noted there are still questions they don’t have an answer to, specifically around finances.
“(Municipalities have to) consolidate by-laws, they’ve got to update municipal plans. There’s a whole lot of zoning work that needs be done — you know, re-branding even,” he said.
“All those things cost money, and municipalities have the least amount of ability to generate revenue.”
Murphy hopes to speak with provincial officials about this ahead of the spring budget.