Rural Municipality of Darlington
PO Box 154, Hunter River, PE C0A 1N0 - 902-621-2170 - darlingtonmunicipality@gmail.com
A letter to all Rural Municipality of Darlington residents,
In December of 2017, the Province of Prince Edward Island passed the new Municipal Government Act (MGA) which brought into legislation new regulations for all incorporated municipalities on the Island. With these new regulations came new requirements and costs to municipalities such as Darlington. To date, the council for Darlington has been meeting all of the requirements that have been part of the MGA, but the costs are increasing. In order to make the budget work for the municipality the last couple of years, the council has had to use the small surplus to make ends meet.
Darlington Budget -2020-2021
Surplus at end of 2019-2020
$2,090.94
Revenue 2020-2021
Property Tax
$6,051.15 (Tax Rate of $0.09 per $100)
Equalization Grant
$1,325.00
Total Revenue 2020-2021
$7,376.15
Expenses 2020-2021
Bank Fees
$55.00
Administrative Services
$2,400.00
Audit
$1,500.00
Insurance
$0.00
Fire Dues
$5,212.00
Total Expenses 2020-2021
$9,167.00
Surplus Left at end of 2020-2021
$300.09
In order for the Rural Municipality of Darlington to continue to meet current and upcoming requirements of the MGA and an anticipated increase to fire dues, a substantial increase to municipal taxes will required for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Council members feel that it is time to hear from residents of the municipality as to what direction they would like to see Darlington head in.
What options are there? At this time there are three viable options available to the municipality:
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Remain as an incorporated municipality- This option will require the Council for the Rural Municipality of Darlington to continue to meet current and upcoming requirements of the MGA. The municipal tax rate would need to double from the current $0.09 per $100 of assessed value to at least $0.18 per $100 of assessed value for the 2021-2022 fiscal year to cover insurance requirements and an increase to fire dues. More increases in subsequent years would be necessary as the requirement for land use planning, implementation and enforcement will be required. Darlington would continue to have its own council made up of residents.
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Amalgamate with another municipality or municipalities - This option would result in the formation of a new larger municipality that would meet the and upcoming requirements of the MGA. The municipal tax rate will still need to increase but possibly not as much as the costs would be shared among a larger group of tax payers and costs could be streamlined. Tax rate would depend on the total assessed value of the newly formed municipality and would be determined as part of the proposal for amalgamation that would be submitted to IRAC and the Minister responsible for Communities. The council for the new municipality would be made up for residents from the new larger area and not solely Darlington.
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Dissolution or Un-Incorporating of the Municipality- This option would see a proposal made to IRAC and the Minister responsible for Communities for Darlington to dissolve/unincorporate. Darlington would be a community in name only, there would no longer be a council or municipal tax collected. Fire dues would appear on your yearly property tax bill sent by the Province and forwarded by the Provincial government to the North River Fire Dept.
The Rural Municipality of Darlington council had planned to call a meeting of residents, the end of March but unfortunately COVID-19 made that impossible.With current social distancing and large gathering restrictions this type of meeting still is not possible.The decision to reach out to residents in this manner was made at the May meeting of council and include a short survey in order to gauge the what residents would like to see happen and have their say.If at all possible, please fill the survey out electronically by clicking the button below and completing it no later than July 31, 2020. You can find out more information about the MGA, amalgamation and dissolution at the websites listed below or by contacting our administrator, Sarah Weeks, by phone at 902-621-2170 or email at darlingtonmunicipality@gmail.com.
MGA Related Website Links: