Council discusses approach to disclosure of property sales

Should town council disclose the price it has paid for a piece of property? That's a question that hasn't yet been resolved by the new Sackville council and is an issue that's currently under discussion by town administrators.
Mayor Pat Estabrooks, who several months ago stated she would like to see council be more open about the price the town pays for land, said council and staff are in the midst of reviewing a discussion paper on the legalities and other issues involved in divulging the pricetag.
"We're going to talk about how we will approach the sale of property and the disclosure," she said.
Over the past few years, the previous council was questioned often about keeping the pricetag of land purchases secret, and residents had voiced concerns over a lack of transparency and accountability with taxpayers' money.
Newly-elected councillor Mike Tower said he understands those concerns.
"It's public funds," he said recently. "And I don't see any reason why we shouldn't make that public knowledge."
Although the town is not legally required to disclose the price it pays for a property according to the New Brunswick Municipalities Act, local resident and political science professor Geoff Martin appealed to the new town council earlier this spring to do so, saying he believes it would give the public more confidence in their town officials. Then it would be up to the taxpayers to decide whether the purchase was justified.
Martin cited the town's purchase of two properties in the industrial park last year as an example. Although the council confirmed at the time it had bought the two side-by-side lots totaling about 25 acres, later revealing the property would be used for a new business park, the price tag was never disclosed.
And more recently, the previous town council closed a deal just this past May on two pieces of property along Main Street, which are expected to be used for the proposed RCMP/fire station. The cost has been kept secret but rumours have been swirling throughout the community about how much money was spent from the town coffers for the lots.
Sackville's chief administrative officer Barry Carroll, however, said revealing the details of a property purchase is not always that simple.
"From a staff perspective, there are many sides to this issue," he said. "So that's what we'll be discussing with council."