Municipal governments are responsible for many things that impact us on a daily basis. They dispose of our garbage, supply us with clean water, maintain our parks, trails and roads, and protect our families from fire and crime. These services are not free – we pay for them with our tax dollars. In doing so, we have the right to know how they perform. AIMS’ 2nd Annual Nova Scotia Municipal Performance Report assesses the performance of municipal governments including all fifty-five Nova Scotian municipalities.
Municipal governments operate with large budgets – $1350 per capita annually on average – most of which come from your taxes. Unlike businesses, they are not held to account by the profits they generate; it is only through the scrutiny of taxpayers that true accountability can be achieved. Living in these communities, we are impacted by these services on a daily basis, but that doesn’t tell us enough. Unless we are aware of the cost and quality of services in other communities; we do not have the context to know how our local governments are serving us.
The media brings municipal government successes and failures to our attention, but generally only the more sensational issues are reported. The resignation of Bridgetown’s entire town council is an example of how relying on media coverage alone is insufficient to hold municipal governments to account; the damage was already done by the time it hit the headlines. So where do we turn to find the information needed to hold our municipal governments to account?
AIMS’ 2nd Annual Nova Scotia Municipal Performance Report provides a comprehensive assessment of municipal government responsibilities. The report grades and ranks for the efficiency and effectiveness of seven categories: Governance and Finance, Taxation, Safety and Protection, Environmental Health, Transportation, Economic Development, and Recreation and Culture. Results are presented for overall and individual category performance.
The overarching themes of this report are that success and failure comes in all shapes and sizes, and that no municipality is perfect. The top three municipal governments overall are Stellarton, Parrsboro and Digby County. But it is crucial to look beyond overall scores. While all three perform well in certain areas, they perform poorly in others. Similar can be said for the bottom three: Annapolis Royal, Shelburne and Oxford. They perform poorly in more areas but in some areas they are exemplary.
Municipal services are important, and we cannot afford to pay higher taxes for waste. We hope you use this report to encourage service improvement and to avoid government misspending. After all, taxes are a forced investment, and it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your investments.
View AIMS' 2nd Annual Nova Scotia Municipal Performance Report.