Agglomeration services | Montreal open to reviewing the bill for demerged cities

After several years of contestation, the 15 related cities of the Montreal agglomeration could obtain a modification of the calculation of their financial contributions for the services offered by the central city.

The current model for sharing expenses is no longer adequate, recognizes the president of the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Dominique Ollivier.

“Our administration is determined to review municipal funding in general, and that is why we took the initiative to organize the project and the forum on taxation,” said Ms.^me Olivier, in interview.

By demerger more than 15 years ago, the related cities, mostly from the West Island, signed an agreement for the payment of services provided by the Montreal agglomeration, such as the police, firefighters, public transport and drinking water.

But in recent years, these cities have been denouncing the fact that their quotas have increased too quickly and that they pay too much for the services they receive.

“We must change the current system, based on property assessment,” explains Beny Masella, president of the Association of Suburban Mayors (AMB) and mayor of Montreal West.

For his municipality, 40% of the budget of 18 million, or 7.2 million, goes to the payment of services provided by the agglomeration, details Mr. Masella. This amount is up 11% for 2023, while the entire budget is up only 5.5%.

A different level of service

Since the property assessment has increased more significantly in the related cities, “we pay four times more per capita than the residents of Montreal, when we don’t have the same level of service,” says the president of the AMB. “For example, we don’t have the metro and we have a lot fewer buses in our sectors. »

The AMB calculates that Montreal’s share of agglomeration expenses only increased by 2.7%, while those of the related cities increased by an average of 8%. In some cases, such as Montreal East, the increase reached 22%.

The mayors of the 15 related municipalities met on January 27 to define their discussion and negotiation strategy with the City of Montreal. They are encouraged by the openness shown by Dominique Ollivier. “But if the negotiations do not work, we will adopt another strategy. All options are on the table,” says Beny Masella.

Beaconsfield has also filed a lawsuit against the City of Montreal in 2020. The municipality claims to pay 2 million too much each year to the agglomeration.

In receiving their tax bill, these days, Beaconsfield taxpayers also receive a letter from the mayor, Georges Bourelle, explaining to them that it is mainly because of the urban agglomeration’s utility bill that their taxes increase by 9 .39% in 2023, while the local budget has only increased by 3.98%.

“It is imperative that the anti-democratic governance and the inequitable cost distribution structure of the agglomeration be reviewed,” writes Mr. Bourelle.

Dominique Ollivier ensures that, during future meetings with the related cities, she is ready to discuss the responsibilities assumed by the agglomeration and the sharing of the bill. “But it’s difficult to establish the exact criteria from which we can determine what is fair,” she notes. We are not all on the same wavelength on this subject. »

The linked cities are Baie-D’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Côte-Saint-Luc, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Dorval, L’Île-Dorval, Hampstead, Kirkland, Montreal-East, Montreal-West, Mont-Royal, Pointe- Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville and Westmount.