The mayor of Mulgrave says residents of the town are staring down a hike to their taxes.
Ralph Hadley says councillors presented first reading of their 2019-20 budget at their regular town council meeting May 7.
Hadley tells The Hawk the increase is necessary because they lost some commercial tax revenue, and they have infrastructure work to do.
“Council didn’t really a big problem (with an increase) because we hadn’t raised taxes for 10 years at all,” he says. “Town taxpayers are looking at getting some work done on road and sidewalks, and we have to find some money.”
Hadley says they have to make up the money they lost when reps with a company in the town successfully appealed their commercial tax assessment.
He says he hopes residents understand.
“I don’t think anybody wants to pay any more taxes, but we have no other choice this year,” he says. “I’m hoping (residents will) all agree there’s nothing else we can do about it- we need some work done, and we need to find that money that we lost.”
Hadley says they’re considering a five per cent increase to both the residential and commercial rates.
He says they hope to pass the budget at June’s regular town council meeting.
