Town Council Approves its 2020 Budgets

• 2019-12-13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 13 December 2019

(Oromocto, NB) Town of Oromocto Council passed its 2020 General Operating and Water and Sewer Utility Budgets on Thursday, 12 December 2019.  The budget priorities identified were two-fold: (1) fund existing annual maintenance costs and (2) continue to invest in capital projects to improve Oromocto. 

General Operating Budget Distribution

Council has approved a balanced budget for 2020.

The General Operating Budget for 2020 is established at $18,795,076, an increase of 1.2% from the 2019 budget.   The 2020 property tax mill rate will remain at $1.3851, which has been the same since 2015.  

This operating budget enables the Town of Oromocto to maintain its current service levels, while addressing increased operating pressures including a significant increase in garbage collection contract costs; a 4% increase in tipping fees; inflation and long-term debt debentures.

Capital Budget(s) Distribution

Capital spending for 2020 totals $2.7 million which includes the expected 2020 Gas Tax Fund.  Some of the major items include:

• 890K in paving and roads program
• 620K in equipment
• 810K in fleet renewal
• 180K in parks and recreational facilities improvements

Water and Sewer Utility Budget:

As approved at the recent Council meeting, the Town of Oromocto has determined it is necessary to raise water rates by 6% effective the next billing cycle (1 February 2020).  This rate will result in an average increase of $14 per household quarterly, based on a household using 70 cubic meters of water. 

The Town of Oromocto and Base Gagetown share a longstanding and unique partnership.  One element of this partnership is that the Base Gagetown Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) have been serving the Base and the Town since 1963 and 1954, respectively.  In essence, the Base is the Town’s water supplier.  Water and sewerage costs to the Town have significantly increased due to an increase in rates applied by the supplier, along with a new master meter which provides accurate readings of water consumption by the Town. 

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For more information contact:

Cindy Goguen, Public Information Officer

506-357-4442 or goguen@oromocto.ca