It’s another year with no tax rate increases in Port Hawkesbury.
Town councillors approved their $7.8 million operating budget, $4.7 million capital budget, and 2021-22 tax rates at May’s regular meeting Tuesday night.
The residential tax rate stays $1.58/$100 of assessment, the commercial rate remains $4.16/$100 of assessment, and the sewer service charge holds at $0.22/$100 of assessment.
After the meeting, Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, the mayor of Port Hawkesbury, said a global pandemic is no time to raise taxes.
“I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say that, as a council, we all thought that the timing wouldn’t have been good for a tax increase,” she said. “I think that it’s the best decision that we can make as a town, considering all the factors at play.”
Town officials cut $29,000 in spending and used $13,000 of reserve funds to balance their operating budget.
Chisholm-Beaton said they tried hard to find the spending cuts without drastically reducing services.
“We would continue forward with the budget, take what we needed out of reserve for some of our capital investments, and work with what we have.”
Councillors approved $416,000 in new spending in the capital budget, which was balanced with $1.47 million from reserves.
