Saint John had highest per-person municipal spending in N.B. in 2024: study

A sign for the city of Saint John, N.B., is pictured. (CTV Atlantic/Avery MacRae)

Saint John had the highest per-person municipal spending of all major municipalities in New Brunswick in 2024, according to a new study.

The study by the Fraser Institute, a right-leaning think tank, compared the amount of tax collected per individual, adjusted for inflation, and the spending of 10 major municipalities in New Brunswick from 2015 to 2024.

Findings showed average spending across the 10 municipalities in 2024 was $2,410 per person, while average revenue was $3,008 per person.

In Saint John, municipal spending per person was $3,021, while Quispamsis was the lowest, with $1,868.

“A clear understanding of how municipalities’ finances evolve over time, and how they compare to one another, is essential to assessing whether changes in revenue and expenditure are aligned with residents’ expectations for taxation and service delivery,” said Austin Thompson, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and author of the study.

Some municipalities recorded spending increases that outpaced population growth and inflation from 2015 to 2024. Those municipalities include:

• Rothesay: 6.6 per cent
• Riverview: 4.6 per cent
• Edmundston: 2.5 per cent
• Quispamsis: 2.4 per cent
• Miramichi: 0.6 per cent

Municipalities that recorded declines in inflation-adjusted spending per person from 2015 to 2024 included Fredericton, Bathurst, Moncton, Dieppe, and Saint John.

The study adds Saint John recorded the steepest decline at -19.8 per cent, but the municipality still holds the spot for highest spending per person in 2024.

The study says on average, inflation-adjusted spending per person in municipalities in New Brunswick declined 7.1 per cent from $2,594 in 2015 to $2,410 in 2024.

“Differences in per person spending among New Brunswick’s major municipalities reflect the impact of important local government decisions,” said Thompson.

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