Aroostook and LSDs will see an increase in 2026
New water system improvements and large building projects are part of the planned expenditures approved by the Southern Victoria Village Council in the 2026 budget.
Residents in the former municipality of Perth-Andover will see their tax rate remain the same at $1.23 per $100 of assessed value, while Aroostook ratepayers will pay $1.3633, up from $1.1344. Local service district residents in the municipality will pay $0.80058, up five cents from $0.7558.
“It was a tough budget for council,” said Mayor Cindy McLaughlin. “No one wants to raise taxes…. Our goal is not to raise taxes dramatically, but gradually to ensure services residents expect are paid for.”
The mayor said services within the amalgamated community vary widely, and the new tax rates reflect varying amenities.
“We have to be able to cover the cost of the services we provide for residents,” she said.
Water system upgrades
Aroostook’s tax rate increase will be used for water reservoir and water line upgrades, along with the hike in water user rates from $255 to $310 per household.
Perth-Andover water and sewer rates jumped $5 per household to $490 and $265, respectively. The mayor credited new construction and subsequent assessment increases within Perth-Andover limits for helping to keep rates in check.
The Southern Victoria tax assessment, set by the province, jumped 0.6 per cent to $213,905,200 in assessed property value. The provincial fiscal capacity funding grant for the community is $458,379, and the 2026 capital renewal grant is $151,303. An estimated $566,198 in non-tax revenue and $2,598,763 in tax warrants bring the community’s 2026 operating budget to $3,623,340.
Mayor McLaughlin said construction will continue in 2026 on the new municipal services building located on F. Tribe Road near the Ambulance New Brunswick garage.
The $9.3 million project will relocate numerous municipal services out of the St. John River floodplain, including the village office, the Perth-Andover Fire Department, the Perth-Andover Public Library, and the Active Living Fitness Centre. The federal government will pay 50 per cent of the project costs, the province 33 per cent, and the municipality the remaining costs. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.
The mayor also said the rough and broken pavement on East Riverside Drive from the highway bridge south to Uplands View Street will be repaved. The road is a designated highway within the provincial road network. The 1.8-kilometre stretch of road is listed for paving on the 2026-27 Provincial Municipal Highway partnership website.
“We have pushed hard for that,” Mayor McLaughlin said.
Power rate jump starting Jan. 1
Perth-Andover Electric Light Commission customers will see a 9.7 per cent rate increase, reflecting the wholesale power price increase starting on Jan. 1. Mayor McLaughlin said council agreed to delay passing on the rate increase to customers until April 1.
“We are holding back on the rate increases until April so people can get through the winter without that big rate increase…. It’s a little bit of savings. The only reason for the increase is the increase in (wholesale power) costs to us,” Mayor McLaughlin said.
The village electric utility’s 2026 budget is $5,035,256.
