Kelly Vodden, MNL/CCRC Research Associate

Results of the 2007 Census • Changes to questions, data collection

methods and response rate since 2003

• 2007: 170/282 municipalities – 60%

Question Categories• Staff, Mayor and

Council • Regional Cooperation • Financial/Taxation

Issues,• Office Equipment/

Technology

• Services• Equipment• Infrastructure • Regulations • Training• Other

Analysis by MNL Region and by Size• Small – less than 1,000 residents

- 77% of municipalities, 72% of respondents

• Medium – 1,000 to 3,999 - 17% of municipalities, 19% of respondents

• Urban – 4,000+ - 6% of municipalities, 9% of respondents - excludes City of St. John’s

Staff Significant differences in human resource capacity

• 49 communities (40% of small towns) without full-time staff

• Small towns average 1 permanent full-time, 5 total• Reliance on part-time and temporary staff (25% FT

vs. 44% medium, 69% urban)

• Medium – 6 FT, 13 total• Urban – 51 FT, 73 total • Avg. 6 employees in Northern, 21 in Labrador

• 45.5% covered under a collective agreement • Small municipalities 6%, medium 37%, urban 69%

• Non-wage employee benefits provided by 34% of municipalities: 20% small to 87% of urban

• Ability to attract and retain staff? • Staff skills and expertise?

Staff

Mayor and Council

• Average of 6 members per council • 96% of available seats are occupied

– Ranging from 95% in small to 100% urban

– Higher % contested elections in 2005 vs. 2001– 38% of sitting council members intend to run again

in the next election vs. 43% in 2003 (53% unsure)– 9% not intending to run again vs. 57% in 2003

• Increase in # of municipalities offering remuneration (from 64% to 71%)

• - 85% in Central, 55% in Labrador, 69% med, 87% urban

• Increase in the average remuneration– Mayors by 3%, councillors by 15.5% (unadjusted)

• Varying remuneration amounts

Mayor and Council

Training - 48% answered that their council had attended

municipal training since 2005 (42% small, 66% medium, 80% urban)

- 66% from Municipal Training and Development Corporation (MTDC), 57% MNL

• Councillors avail of training 1-2 times per year in 51% of municipalities

• 47% indicate the same frequency for staff

– 51% of the NL population are women

• 28% of councillors are women: 16.5% in medium, 19% urban, 33% small towns

• Labrador has the highest proportion of female councilors (39%, Northern 37%), Avalon, Central and Western the lowest (26%)

Councillor Diversity

• Over 20% of council members 60 years+ (Task Force 2005)

• 2007 - 34% retired – 40% 56+ (~ 28% pop)

- 30% 46-55 (~ 17% pop) - 30% 21-45 (~ 33% pop)

Councillor Diversity

* Preliminary 2007 Councillor results

• Most municipal councils (56%) meet monthly, 41% meet every two weeks

• Only 60% of small municipalities have committees of council, rising to 100% of urban

• 57% have committees with citizen members: 40% Northern, 48% Eastern vs. 89% Labrador

• 83% utilize a newsletter for communication, public meetings and brochures also heavily used

Regional Cooperation• 74% of municipalities sharing services with

neighbouring municipalities or other partners, rising from 53% in 2003

– Most common in urban municipalities (93%) vs. 67% of small municipalities– Central 85% vs. Eastern region 61%– Significant increase on the Avalon, decline in Labrador

• 323 service sharing arrangements identified• Fire protection most commonly shared (41%) • Followed by waste disposal (35%) and garbage

collection (25%)• Fee for service most common (38%)• Sharing with other municipalities (77%), LSDs (29%)

Regional Cooperation

Why share services?• Maintain existing services: 56%• Cut costs: 52% • Provide new or improved services: 40%• Establish good relationships: 37%• Improve environmental practices: 36%• Share information and ideas: 26%• Increase revenues: 13%• Access to government funding: 10%

• Varies by region and size

Finance• 58% of municipalities saw their revenues increase

from 2006 to 2007 (49% 2003)• Only 8% experienced revenue decreases • Increases in 81% of Western municipalities vs. 45% of

Northern, 50% of small communities

Caution: how much was the revenue increase? Increases in costs? type of new revenue?

• 80% have problems with delinquent taxpayers (88% of small towns)• decreased from 87% overall in 2003

• Municipalities with 30%+ of 2006 tax revenue outstanding: 20% in 2003, 9% in 2007

• Better in some regions (Avalon, Eastern), worse in others (Labrador, Northern) since 2003!!

Finance

Office Technology• 79% of municipalities have internet access vs.

57% in 2003• 74% of small, 87% of medium and 100% of urban

municipalities

• Reliance on dial-up internet fell from 89% in 2003 to 40% in 2007: 43% in small, 5% medium and 0 urban, Central 63%, Northern 50%, Labrador 10%

• Only 46% have a website (a decline since ’03)

Services • # of municipalities that run their own fire

department dropped to 75 from 81%, sharing increased

• 95% are run by volunteers • 31% pay an honorarium to volunteer

firefighters (up from 23% in 2003)

Services• # of municipalities using landfill sites for solid waste

increased to 81% (from 68%) and those using incinerators fell to 20% (from 34%)

• 37% have recycling in their municipality • 80% urban, 23% medium 34% small• 10% Northern/11% Eastern vs. 53% Central

• 63% contract out municipal services (garbage collection #1, snow removal #2)

Infrastructure• - 81% or more of residents are hooked up to a municipal water

system in 81% of municipalities, to a municipal sewer system in 58% of municipalities

• - 70% dispose of wastewater and sewage via an outfall to a water body, 10% have primary and 2% secondary treatment

• - 47% contain properties using private septic systems

• - 80% have a fire hall, 78% parks and playgrounds, 20% an arena, 13% (22 responding towns) a swimming pool

Economic Development • 65% participate in their REDB, 49% in a

Chamber of Commerce, 32% in an RDA, 16% a CBDC

• 19% have an economic development committee

• 12% their own economic development staff

Prospects for your town/city five years from now?

- better or much better than today 44%- same or unsure 43%

- worse or much worse 13%

* Preliminary 2007 Councillor results

Thank you

to the 170 municipalities that participated in the 2007 Municipal Census survey!!