Proportionate shares paid to Montréal Agglomeration
Beaconsfield mandates its representatives to participate in negotiations
BEACONSFIELD, QC, Feb. 21, 2023 /CNW/ - Mayor Georges Bourelle and the elected members of the Municipal Council formally and unanimously endorsed the sole authority of the City of Beaconsfield to negotiate the rules governing the Montréal Agglomeration with the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal, and the other municipalities on the island.
"This is a critical negotiation. Our city's budget for regional services provided by the Agglomeration represents more than half of our expenses. It is essential that we have a seat at the negotiating table," declares Mayor Bourelle.
The revision of the rules governing the Montréal Agglomeration is happening at a time when it is widely acknowledged that there are indeed major issues with the payment of proportionate shares, the cost-sharing as well as the Agglomeration governance which is entirely in the hands of the City of Montréal's administration at the present time.
In Beaconsfield, the elected officials approach this negotiation with an open mind for the purpose of finding a just, balanced, and democratic solution for the two million people living on the island of Montréal.
"It is important to review the terms of the agreement that was concluded in 2008 between 16 cities, including the Metropole, and has never been revisited, revised or re-evaluated in its entirety despite its original, unique and complex character." Georges Bourelle is at his third mandate as mayor and has acted as vice-president of the Montréal Agglomeration's Finance and Administration Commission for seven years.
The 2008 agreement was negotiated for several months before it was approved by all stakeholders ? the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal, and the 15 other municipalities on the island of Montréal. The Agglomeration manages the regional services on the island, such as police and fire safety services, public transit, and water treatment.
"It is perfectly normal and indeed essential to review an agreement this complex and unique after 15 years of existence. We should all come out of it with a more favourable and just result that is better adapted to today's reality and the coming years, for the benefit of present and future generations," states Mayor Bourelle.
The City of Beaconsfield initiated a civil lawsuit in 2020 following an error in the algorithm to calculate the proportionate shares. The claim for this surtax has since reached more than 10 million dollars, paid under protest, over four years.
The upcoming revision of the agreement on the Montréal Agglomeration must allow to remedy the inequities which the demerged cities, such as Beaconsfield, are facing.
SOURCE Ville de Beaconsfield
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