CBRM council approves rare budget with tax cuts and increased spending

Cape Breton Regional Municipality's budget for the coming year gives residents a tax break, while boosting spending on infrastructure and operations.

That's possible partly because the Nova Scotia government eliminated municipal taxes for housing and corrections, and partly because of huge increases in property values.

It's also in large part because of a planned switch to a user-pay model for sewer services.

Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger, a veteran of municipal politics even before CBRM's creation in 1995, said it's a good-news budget.

"I haven't seen a budget like this come before me and I've been around this table since '97 and in Dominion prior to that where there was some lean years as well," he said Wednesday. "We've been through budgets here where we couldn't have any capital and I remember them well. There was some real lean times. We're very fortunate this year to have some growth."

Mayor Amanda McDougall said the last three years have been challenging for municipal finances, with provincial funding frozen and the impact of post-tropical storm Fiona in 2022 and a recent 150-centimetre snow storm.

"It was not easy, that's for sure, but it's a good feeling to be able to come to the public and say, 'Look, we've done the best job we possibly can and we hope you appreciate the savings that you see and the investment in the community,'" she said.

Council set aside three days to approve its capital and operating budgets for the coming year, but got them done in less than a day.

Infrastructure is getting a 20 per cent boost under the capital budget and more money will be spent on operations, even with a cut in taxes.

Staff say an unserviced home assessed at $120,000 will save about $37 on their tax bill.

Those on a municipal sewer system will save almost $250.

Everyone will benefit from the province eliminating municipal taxes for housing and corrections and chief financial officer Jennifer Campbell said CBRM is seeing increased user fees for transit and 911 service.

But the proposed sewage user fee is the driving factor behind the reduction in taxes, she said.

Not only does that allow CBRM to eliminate the sewage tax some properties currently pay, but user fees will generate up to $4 million annually for the municipality to pay for administrative services provided to the proposed new wastewater utility.