By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Nov. 27 meeting of the Brome-Missisquoi MRC, presided over by Prefect Patrick Melchior, was dominated by heated debate over the proposed 2025 budget. Sutton Mayor Robert Benoit led the opposition, delivering a pointed critique of what he described as unchecked cost increases and inequitable financial practices that strain smaller municipalities.
Benoit opened his critique by detailing the financial pressures on Sutton, which has seen its share of the MRC budget rise dramatically in recent years. He noted that Sutton’s contributions had increased from $624,000 in 2022 to $824,000 projected for 2025, marking a 33.4 per cent rise in just three years. This, he argued, was compounded by additional increases from the Sureté du Québec (SQ), with total MRC and SQ contributions rising by $222,560 this year alone.
“For a town with a modest budget like ours, these increases are untenable,” said Benoit. “We’re forced to make painful choices, cutting essential services and deferring critical projects, all while seeing little in return. What services are residents receiving for these rising contributions?”
Benoit also pointed to service reductions within Sutton as evidence of the growing financial burden. He highlighted deferred maintenance on secondary roads and other infrastructure projects, which he attributed to the increasing costs funneled to regional governance. “Our secondary roads are deteriorating because we don’t have the funds to maintain them properly,” he said.
Central to Benoit’s argument was the perception of inefficiency and poor prioritization in the MRC’s budgeting process. He criticized the council’s focus on expanding strategic projects, such as the sustainable development plan update, without thoroughly reassessing existing commitments. “The MRC continues to stack new priorities on top of old ones without any serious review of current expenses. This is not sustainable,” he said.
