Partnership to the test

By KIRK STARRATT & SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

Local inter-municipal service agreements could soon be open to a full review.

Municipal units are voting on the same resolution to study, through the Kings Partnership Steering Committee (KPSC), deals covering Kings Transit, Valley Solid Waste, Kings CED, education and recreation funding, libraries, tourism, roads, policing, water, waste water and fire services; and revenue sharing.

The KPSC includes Kings County and towns of Berwick, Kentville and Wolfville. Hantsport is not an official member of the KPSC but would be included.

The county raised the issue of mandatory education contributions last fall: the current funding arrangement for the units is based on student numbers. All other jurisdictions in the province, aside from Annapolis County, fund education based on uniform assessment. Annapolis uses a mixed formula: 50 per cent student count and 50 per cent uniform assessment.

County council unanimously supported a motion at its November COTW session to recommend notice of termination March 31, 2010 of the current agreement.

The KPSC then agreed education funding would be studied as part of a larger look at inter-municipal agreements.

Kentville Mayor Dave Corkum made a presentation to county council in December outlining town concerns. County councillors referred the motion to give notice of termination to a special meeting January 15.

In the meantime, mayors and warden met and agreed on a common resolution for all five municipal units to consider, calling for the initiation of a services, municipal cost and revenue sharing study. A KPSC task force - the four mayors, the warden and the five chief administrators - would be established and the KPSC provided with a terms of reference calling for a request for proposals for the study.

Kentville says yes

“If we’re going to open education to discussions, the town feels all deals should be on the table,” CAO Bill Boyd said when presenting the common resolution to Kentville council at its January session.

Councillor Dennis Kehoe asked if each unit would get the chance to approve the terms of reference. Boyd said they would be devised by the CAOs, who would take them to the KPSC. The document could be taken to councils for initial approval. Kehoe said the term “user pay” is needed.

Kentville approved the resolution.

Kings may say yes

At the county’s January COTW session, CAO Brian Smith said the terms of reference wouldn’t be that complicated.

“A lot of this information we’ve already assembled,” he said. “It’s a matter of having an independent review.”

Deputy Warden Diana Brothers said councils could either go with the subject resolution, or everyone could hire their own consultants and do their own review.

“You shouldn’t be reviewing yourself,” she said.

After asking Brothers to take the chair, Warden Fred Whalen said it’s essential to go through the process recommended.

“If we don’t, there won’t be any credibility,” he said, pointing out, before the KPSC, partner municipalities would read about what others were doing in the papers and then slam each other. Now, the KPSC is a model of co-operation.

“It will still come out that we’re paying too much for education,” Whalen said.

He also believes the study would show costs actually have a way of balancing out: Kentville has an issue with the cost of solid waste collection and feels it’s subsidizing part of the county’s costs; Whalen said it costs more to truck more waste and the greatest concentrations are within the towns.

Councillor Jim Taylor thinks an all-inclusive study shows a spirit of co-operation - what Corkum was asking for.

Councillor Chris Parker wondered what is meant by revenue sharing. Whalen said he doesn’t see why revenue sharing is being included, and the county would be the loser. Parker said if partners agree to revenue sharing, they should agree with amalgamation.

“When we talk revenue sharing, we’re talking amalgamation - there’s no question,” said Councillor Madonna Spinazola. “We need to be clear on what we’re studying.”

County councillors unanimously supported the original resolution.

Later, at a special meeting, they also unanimously supported the deferred motion to give notice of termination of the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board agreement and state the county’s desire to renegotiate a new agreement immediately, with the termination date of March 31, 2010.

Berwick won’t support the motion

At Berwick’s council January 15, no one would put the common resolution on the table.

“The whole thing has escalated out of control,” Councillor Mike Trinacty said. “We’re talking a huge terms of reference, a costly study for the whole thing, time from our CAOs. Why can’t we have some discussion and look at the figures before we go that far?

“It’s backed us into a position where everyone is going to want to dig and claw beyond what the formula for education is.”

He said the ideal situation is municipal units paying per student - “what could be easier than that? We have that now.”

Deputy Mayor Don Clarke said there has been pressure on Berwick and it’s turned into a “big, nasty issue.

“We’re going to step on someone’s toes whatever we do.”

Mayor John Prall acknowledged “there’s been a lot around the table, and the partnership is being put to the test.” Berwick’s education funding costs increased a few years ago by $44,000 in one year, and the town paid it. “That’s equal to about $1 million in taxes for the county.”

Trinacty moved - and council approved - Berwick ask the KPSC to discuss the issue and look at the facts, and then decide where to go.

“If we start talking about why Kentville did this, what the county will do, who might do what, what the majority is - then we’re getting into the game. We just need to make our position clear.”

Education $$$s

Kings County wants to switch the education funding formula shared by itself, Berwick, Wolfville, Kentville and Hantsport to uniform assessment from a per student charge:

• Kings’ annual share would decrease by about $1 million

• Berwick’s contribution would be reduced by about $38,000 annually

• Hantsport would face an increase of about $121,000 per year

• Kentville’s increase would be about $325,000

• Wolfville’s increase would be about $608,000