Bent looks to stay the course in CBS

By Mark Squibb

Conception Bay South Mayor Darrin Bent said that council, through investment in infrastructure and prudent fiscal management, had an exceptional year in 2024, and he expects more of the same in 2025.

“2024 was really our first where as a council the burden of increased inflation and the fallout from COVID didn’t dictate the year and how we did things,” said Bent. “We saw a levelling out of costs — not a decrease, but a levelling out — and that allowed us to plan better… 2025 is going to be an exciting year. We expect commercial growth in our town to really hit a stride. We know of a number of things in the hopper right now that are going to be a great benefit to the town for economic reasons, but also for our residents. We’re really excited about moving forward with the engineering for the new lifestyle centre, which will service youths, young families, seniors, all of our residents really. One of the things that COVID exposed here in Conception Bay South is the town’s lack of indoor space. A lot of schools and churches closed, and that meant a lot of our groups and organizations had nowhere to go.”

Bent said he’s especially pleased to see growth in the towns’ commercial sector, noting that over the last two years CBS has experienced record breaking commercial tax revenues. That trend is expected to continue through 2025.

Low commercial revenue has long been a recognised problem within council chambers.

“That commercial revenue allows us to do the things that our people want us to do,” said Bent. “It also allows us to shield our residents from tax burdens.”

Bent added investments in infrastructure by this current term of council have enabled he town to move forward without worrying about an increased financial burden.

“Over the past three years we’ve invested some $25 million in investments in infrastructure — roads, water and sewer upgrades, water and sewer installation, and sidewalks, and all of these things are done with the idea of economic development,” said Bent. “People aren’t going to come here if your roads are falling apart. People aren’t going to come here if it’s not safe and inclusive.”

The mayor said he’s also delighted that the town has decided to take over the ownership of the Manuels River Interpretation Centre.

“We have to go through a process to determine all this, but I see all kinds of possibilities for our youth, for our seniors, for our arts community, and for many people in the town,” said Bent. “It will be used in a way that more residents can take advantage of.”

Bent said that, as in any year, unexpected incidents, such as a waterline break requiring costly repairs, always present a challenge. He noted that in Budget 2025 council has earmarked funds for design of the $15 million Long Pond Inner Harbour Breakwater stabilization project, which is cost-shared with the federal government, and funds for a new firetruck and rescue vehicle, along with additional staffing at the firehall.

“Investments like these sort of balance out some concerns that we have, but you never know what’s going to come around the corner, with the way the climate has changed and the way things happen,” said Bent.

Oftentimes, towns require funding from higher levels of government for larger infrastructure projects, and Conception bay South is no exception.

To that end, Bent said council will be asking the Province to dig a little deeper into its coffers in the coming years.

“We feel that our Multiple Year Capital Works arrangement with the Province that has been in place for years upon years needs to be re-imagined so that we are getting a better share,” said the mayor. “I’m sure it worked at the time, but we have grown in leaps and bounds, and the amount of roads we have, the amount of infrastructure we have, requires more funding. We have had a great partnership in a number of ways but this is one of the things that we’ve brought to their attention. We’re expecting a multi year capital works program to be announced over the next year, and that needs to take into account the reality of our community and how they fund other communities. We deserve more than we’re getting. They know that, and we know that.”

To comply with new provincial legislation governing all municipalities, CBS will hold public committee of the whole meetings on a bi-weekly basis. Committee meetings were previously held in private, although the minutes were made public. Members of the public are invited to attend, although Bent quipped they may find the meetings pretty boring.

“Anything that comes to the public agenda is discussed in committee,” said Bent. “Sometimes there are issues, sometimes there are not.”

The mayor also said he’s glad the Town has committed to helping cover the cost of spaying and neutering cats and dogs on adoption, and he’s also been impressed by how well attended the town’s many festivals and events have been over the last number of years.

Folks in Conception Bay South, and across the province, will have the opportunity to participate in three elections this year.

Bent said he’s “fairly certain” residents can expect to see his name on the municipal ballot come October, though he allowed anything could change in eight months, and also said, in no uncertain terms, that he has no desire to run provincially or federally.

“I am very proud to have been mayor of Conception Bay South these last three years, and for these next eight months,” said Bent. “It is an absolute honour to be able to represent the residents of our community. I came in with really only one key agenda item, and that was to increase our commercial revenue so that we could brace our residents against any downturn in the economy, and we have done that… I can’t see a higher calling than being mayor of Conception Bay South.”

When asked, theoretically, if given the choice between running for the province or running for the feds, which he would choose, Bent said he would simply prefer to remain on as mayor.

As to the three elections being scheduled for one year, Bent said he is concerned residents may suffer from election fatigue, as in times past.

“That was a bit of a challenge last time,” said Bent. “We were knocking on doors asking people to vote, and they would say, ‘But we just voted!’

He added the town will continue to offer residents the chance to vote by mail.

“Anything that makes it easier to vote is a good thing for democracy and a good thing for our town,” said the mayor.