Halifax budget meeting focuses on proposed 9.7 per cent property tax hike
CTV
The city of Halifax held it’s first budget meeting Tuesday after staff recommended a property tax increase of 9.7 per cent to make up for a revenue shortfall of $68.7 million dollars.
The city of Halifax held it’s first budget meeting Tuesday after staff recommended a property tax increase of 9.7 per cent to make up for a revenue shortfall of $68.7 million dollars.
“I’m thinking that we’re going to have to knock several points off this and we’re going to have to do that in combination of either hiring freezes or cutbacks on some programs or cut back on some projects,” says councillor Tim Outhit, noting he didn’t want to set the expectation of a 9.7 per cent increase.
Councillor Outhit tabled a motion to develop a budget according to council’s approved priorities.
“I think the message I’d like to see is that while staff has said for things to be easy and palatable for the municipality to go ahead and do all the things that we would like to do that 9.7 would be required,” Outhit says.
“I think we need to send the message that we are going to dig in over the next few months and not even consider 9.7.”
An increase of that amount would mean an individual homeowner would pay $223 more in property tax.
Councillor Waye Mason says there are ways to trim that burden for residents.
