Eastern Shelburne County municipal units to talk again

The three municipal units in eastern Shelburne County will be back at the table in the coming weeks to talk about the possibility of consolidation.

The Town of Lockeport and the Municipality of Shelburne both accepted an invitation from the Town of Shelburne when their respective councils met on Feb. 10 to re-start the dialogue that began last year.

The three municipal units have met several times to talk about the possibility of consolidation, but discussions came to a standstill after the Municipality of Shelburne insisted that the province be willing to commit funding to the process.

The Municipality of Shelburne has once again agreed to meet with the Town of Shelburne,

the Town of Lockeport and the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, approving a motion that reads: “to re-engage in dialogue regarding the Town of Shelburne’s and the Town of Lockeport’s financial position, with the understanding that the Department of Municipal Affairs will be presenting new information concerning funding that would be available through the province that would help address the significant costs that would be associated with maintaining, replacing or removing infrastructure that is owned by the two towns."

“As we have stated all along, the municipality strongly believes the province needs to make a financial commitment to address infrastructure challenges faced by the Towns, as they have done with other municipal units that have merged or dissolved,” said Warden Penny Smith in a media release. “For council to decide on a way forward, we need to investigate all options, including the pros and cons of each before making a decision that will have a direct impact on the future of our residents for years to come.

“At this point in time, we are not in a place where we can make a determination on what we believe may be the best way forward; however, we are open to explore the options with the towns, the province and our community, provided that the province is prepared to be a key financial contributor.”

The municipality also says it is prepared to meet “provided that the province will bring new information concerning funding that would be available to address the concerns the municipality has regarding the significant costs involved in maintaining and upgrading town infrastructure.”

The municipality has requested from the Town of Shelburne and the Town of Lockeport a list of their infrastructure, including current maintenance costs and future capital costs. In addition, they are also gathering information from municipal units that have been part of the dissolution process and those that have amalgamated or consolidated.

With projected operating deficits estimated at $180,000 a year over the next five years, the Town of Shelburne announced on Jan. 23 they were left “in a position to decide between dissolution and significant cuts in service” with the breakdown in consolidation talks with their neighbours.

The town has since indicated it wants to turn back to consolidation talks as another option.