Village commission in Baddeck votes to dissolve, join with county

After a rocky period over the last year or so, the 113-year-old Village of Baddeck is seeking to dissolve and join with Victoria County.

"Baddeck is in a position very similar to many other small communities, where we simply don't have the resources to provide for our residents' needs," village commission chair Bill Marchant said Friday in a news release.

"As is the case with other villages and towns, it makes sense for Baddeck to look to combine resources with the county."

Last year, commissioners began seriously considering dissolution, saying they had been discussing the high cost of providing sewer and water services with aging infrastructure and might have to consider hiking taxes and fees.

The village's chief administrative officer later proposed a plan to cut costs by taking over the sewer and water accounts from the county.

But earlier this year, she was let go and retired CAO Maris Freimanis was brought in to straighten out the finances.

Existing model not sustainable

The village commission said Friday the current governance model "could no longer adequately operate and provide services for ... residents."

The commission has asked the minister of municipal affairs to dissolve the village and consider merging it into the county.

It has also called a special meeting for Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. local time at the Inverary Resort to go over the request with residents.

No one from the village commission was immediately available for comment.

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