CBS budget up as water authority jacks fees

By Craig Westcott

Property owners in CBS will pay $30 a year more in water and sewer fees in 2026 as the Town copes with a $3.2 million increase in its operating budget
Council expects to take in and spend some $47.6 million next year, with the increase due to a $511,000 jump in St. John’s Regional Water Authority charges, a $570,000 increase in fire department spending, $825,000 to reopen and run the Manuels River Centre, and a $100,000 pilot program to provide accessible transit to residents with disabilities. 
The Town is adding about 10 people to the payroll, including a development control officer to help it cope with growth in housing and business development. Other new hires include an additional municipal enforcement officer, a manager for the new Community Lifestyle Centre, which will have its opening delayed until early 2027, and six or seven people at the Manuels River Centre.
“Budget 2026 reflects the growth we’re experiencing in Conception Bay South,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea Goose. “While this growth is exciting, it also places added demand on our infrastructure and services.”
The bump in water and see fees will bring the residential charge to $665 for households, and $1,297 for commercial premises. Schools will pay an extra $5 per student, but that fee will be covered by the school board.
The fee increases, along with the extra revenue expected from housing and business growth, means Gosse and council were able to avoid increasing the mil rate, which remains at 7.6 mills for houses and 11.5 mils for commercial properties. However, because of an increase in property values throughout the region, some homeowners will pay more in property tax next year based on the 7.6 mils. The Town is expecting an additional $2.1 million in property tax revenues because of that, bringing the total take to $30.32 million.
A change for older residents will be the elimination of the Seniors Property Tax Incentive, which gave homeowners over 65 a five per cent discount on their property taxes.
“I would like to be very clear on this point: The elimination of the blanket seniors discount is not something council wanted to do,” Gosse said. “It was something that we felt compelled to do because of provincial legislation.”
In its place, Goose said, council is enhancing the tax reduction for low income seniors and low income households to 25 per cent. Those programs are available to residents 65 and older who are in receipt of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and to younger residents who meet the low-income threshold defined by the federal government.
The Town is also waiving permit fees for home renovations, and for opening a home-based business.
Gosse said that reflects council’s commitment to keeping CBS as an affordable place to live and a great place to do business.
The increase in funding for the fire department brings the allocation for protective services to just over $6.5 million, about 14 per cent of the total budget. The additional $570,000 next year will go towards equipment, training, staffing and emergency preparedness for wildfires. 
“We’ll be looking at an aerial apparatus, and things like that,” Gosse said. “As you grow, and buildings grow (in size and height) you need to have that at your fingertips for emergency preparedness.”
A consultant is being hired to assess the risk of wildfires and the training and equipment needed to be prepared for them.
“The growth money that we have this year we’re using to invest in safety,” Gosse said. “Because climate change is real and we’re going to see more of it. We just need to be ready.”
The Manuels River Centre is expected to reopen in February and will include a fossil exhibition developed with local paleontologist Dr. Rod Taylor.
Mayor Darrin Bent said the centre, once it opens, will keep its lower doors that face onto the trail open to the public later in the evenings so that they can access washrooms or go inside and relax.
Gosse said the Town is expecting to call tenders on the construction of the Community Lifestyle Centre in 2026, but its completion has been pushed to early 2027 because of delays the manufacturer encountered finding materials that are not subject to American tariffs. 
Council is also earmarking $520,000 to lease new equipment for its public works and other fleets. 
“Following a review of available options, the Town has concluded that leasing certain fleet equipment provides better value and reduces the financial impact on taxpayers,” Gosse said. “Items like this are simply the cost of doing business in a growing community.”
The extra money being charged by the St. John’s Regional Water Authority brings the total bill for CBS next year to $3.5 million.
Gosse said the fees are set independently of the Town.
“They own the water,” added Mayor Bent. “In 2025, we got a bill for about $466,000 above what our budget was, that we didn’t expect, even though our consumption went down. So, we’re obviously sharing more of the operating costs. The board sets that fee. They have already told us that our bill is going up by $511,000 next year. That’s about a million dollars (in total increases).”
And that’s why the Town upped its water and sewer fee, he explained, to cover half that extra cost, with the Town using some of the revenue from increased property taxes to cover the rest of it. 
“It’s not something we’re happy about,” Bent admitted. “But if we get a bill, we have to pay it, and if you don’t pay the water bill, guess what happens.”
As for the $100,000 for the accessible transit program, Gosse and Bent indicated CBS is still a ways off from bringing in a transit system for everybody.
“The previous council, which Mayor Bent and I were part of, did some deep research into a public transit program here,” Gosse said. “It’s not off the table, it’s not something that we’re not going to talk about as we move forward through this term. It will be something that we will discuss. It’s very difficult the way our community is laid out being a linear community and with the roads that go in off Route 60 and they don’t link up… To have a practical public transit service is complicated and it’s very expensive. What we looked at a couple of years ago was a very minimal service and it was so expensive. So, it’s something that’s going to take a lot of consideration and significant research before we make any decisions going forward.”
Mayor Bent agreed.
“We met with Metrobus and other organizations to try to find the right fit for Conception Bay South and we haven’t found that yet,” he said. “There’s no value to our residents to have a bus going up and down the main road, and you’ve got to get to the main road, because we have some pretty long off roads. But we heard from people this year loud and clear about people with accessibility issues. They get a subsidy from the Province of about $300 a month. That will get them back and forth to the hospital or somewhere else twice. But that doesn’t get them to church, it doesn’t get them to the hockey game here in their own town. We brought in this accessible pilot project to see what it would cost to allow people with accessibility issues to get around their own community free of charge and be able to access our own community, our recreational facilities and church or anywhere else that they want to go. That’s what we’re starting. We’re helping those who need the help the most. Full transit is always on the table, but we haven’t been able to find the fit that falls within a reasonable price range that offers a reasonable service to residents that may want it.”
Goose said council has tried to craft a budget that keeps the Town operating on a sustainable basis with public safety top of mind.
“It’s a budget that council is quite happy with,” she said. “We’re making really good investments in the community, and I think its investments that our residents will be very happy with.”