Municipal politics primer: What P.E.I. towns and cities control

Picture waking up in the morning and there are no street lights on. It's snowing and the roads and sidewalks aren't plowed. You turn your water on and you don't get anything — same with your toilet. You go down the street and there are no parks, no ball fields. 

"That's the type of thing municipalities do that often is overlooked," said Andy Daggett, the CAO of the former Town of Montague, soon to be part of the new Three Rivers municipality. "Often we get asked — what do you do with the tax money? That's some of the things we do."

Most Islanders will go to the polls Nov. 5 to vote in municipal elections, and prospective politicians going door to door seeking your vote have limited — but important — powers.

Here are some of the things they're responsible for, and you can ask them about when they stop by.

1. Taxes and budget

Municipal councils set the community's tax rate, which residents pay for through a quarterly property tax bill. The province levies $1.50 per $100 of residential property assessment, immediately crediting back 50 cents of that. 

Then the municipality levies an additional tax at its own rate, to pay for all of the services provided — although water and sewer are separate. 

The province also returns some of that $1 it charges to some municipalities. For instance in Stratford the province returns about 14 cents per $100 of assessment, based on what the town provides such as police, street lighting and recreation. In the end, residents of Stratford pay $1.46 per $100 assessment. In Summerside, residents pay $1.74. 

"Hold the line on taxes," is the number one request Summerside coun. Bruce MacDougall says he gets from residents as he campaigns. He was first elected in 1989, and also chairs P.E.I.'s Federation of Municipalities. "Nobody wants to pay any more."

Councils are also responsible for how the municipality spends its budget. 

Charlottetown has the largest budget of the municipalities at $66.8 million. Stratford's budget is about $5 million. In Georgetown it's less than a million dollars. 

2. Water and sewer utilities

Most municipalities are responsible for what comes out of the taps and also for finding a place for, and treating, what residents flush away.

Municipalities that have their own water and sewer systems charge a fee to cover that cost. 

Except for the so-called "big four" — Charlottetown, Summerside, Cornwall and Stratford — municipal water and sewer rates must be approved by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. 

Municipalities are also responsible for finding new sources of water and for upgrading and expanding sewage treatment facilities — both recent, expensive challenges for Charlottetown and Stratford. 

"Those big costs are amortized over a number of years," explained MacDougall. "Thank God we have the infrastructure programs from Ottawa and the province that assist in paying for those."

Charlottetown's water and sewer budget alone was $15.4 million last year. 

3. Streets and roads

P.E.I.'s two cities, Charlottetown and Summerside, are responsible for maintaining their own streets and plowing them. A handful of towns including Georgetown, Souris and Alberton also own and maintain some of their streets, although some of them are looking to hand back responsibility to the province, says Dorothy Macdonald, CAO of Georgetown.  

"There is some extra funding that comes through," from the province to municipalities that want to look after their own roads, but with harsher winters, snow removal is becoming too much of a burden, Macdonald said.

The province owns the roads in Stratford, Cornwall and most smaller communities — they are built to a "rural standard," says Stratford CAO Robert Hughes, adding that municipalities are responsible for adding active transportation like bike lanes and sidewalks.  

4. Policing

Charlottetown, Summerside and Kensington have and pay for their own municipal police forces. 

All the other towns and villages are policed by the RCMP. 

Some municipalities have independent contracts with the RCMP because they want a say in how their communities are policed — they pay for that policing with a grant from the province. The remaining municipalities, including Georgetown, are policed by the RCMP through a contract with the province. 

5. Recreational facilities

Facilities like rinks, wellness centres, parks, ball fields and skate parks are all paid for and maintained by municipalities. 

Many community events like festivals and concerts are paid for by communities — they hope the investment pays off by attracting new residents to pay taxes and reducing crime, says Daggett. 

"It's kind of an egg or chicken — if you don't have those facilities, it's less enticing for people to live in your community," he said. 

6. Lobbying

P.E.I.'s Federation of Municipalities lobbied the province for almost a decade for a new revenue-sharing program for municipalities, and finally got it last year, along with a new Municipal Government Act. 

Municipalities often lobby the province for funding for recreation facilities or to build schools in their area. Montague — soon to be part of the Three Rivers municipality — for instance, is lobbying to have the local hospital restore hours that were recently cut at the local ER. 

Municipalities can also be proponents for change on issues like sustainability — creating community gardens — or affordable housing, which is a big issue for many Islanders right now. 

"If you want affordable housing to happen in your municipality, you've got to step up to the plate and be a partner," said Bruce MacDougall. By offering things like tax breaks or free land to developers, municipalities can take an active role in helping residents find housing in their communities. 

Things they might do if you ask nicely

Municipal officials, both elected and staff, shared they get asked to do some pretty odd things. 

MacDougall said one constituent asked for his advice on where to install a new heat pump.

Daggett said Montague residents often call him to remove debris, including dead animals, from their yards. 

"That's not really in the job description, but you deal with a lot of crazy stuff," he said. 

"We had a phone call there was a baby skunk wandering around someone's driveway and they wanted to know if we could send someone up to trap it," said Macdonald in Georgetown. They did send a maintenance person but the resident ended up removing it themselves. 

And finally, those pesky ditches

In Summerside, one of the major municipal issues MacDougall hears about is ditch infilling.

Residents were promised ditch infilling when the communities around Summerside amalgamated and formed P.E.I.'s second city back in 1995, and the city has been picking away at the project ever since. Completing the project is at least a decade away, he said.

Ditch infilling costs $1,700 per 23 metres of lot frontage, said MacDougall, which doesn't sound like a lot but adds up quickly. 

Older residents especially are staying in their homes longer and find the ditches difficult to mow, MacDougall said. 

"It'll continue to be an issue till we hopefully get it done someday," said MacDougall. 

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