The CBRM Board approves the budget with a 3.5% increase in the general tax rate
Councilors have voted 7 to 6 to raise the general tax rate of 3.5 percent in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality after protracted and at times angry budget talks.
Mayor Amanda McDougall was among those who voted for the measure after struggling with the financial numbers for nearly three months.
“I hate the fact that we have to pass a tax increase, from a human perspective,” she said. “My concern is that if we didn’t, what services would be cut that would hurt the wider community even more?”
Several council members objected to the proposed tax increase, but voted in favor anyway, feeling they had no choice.
Staff said they had cut the budget as much as possible and anything more would have meant cutting services.
“I think this was one of the most painful budgets I’ve experienced in my nearly seven years here at the CBRM,” McDougall said.
“We put the staff through the wringer in terms of ‘okay, go back to the table and see what you can cut on your budgets’. And eventually the staff came back and said, ‘If you want to cut more on our budgets, we are cutting off residents’ services.'”
count. Earlene MacMullin expressed frustration with the impact of last year’s five percent tax cut, and some councilors agreed.
She said she felt “smitten” by colleagues, staff, companies and organizations, in part because an increase in general property appraisals offset the effect of the tax cut and left CBRM with a drop in revenue this year.
MacMullin, who voted for the tax cut last year, said residents can’t afford to pay more, but they also can’t afford to lose important services.
She voted for the increase on Tuesday “because I can’t find any other way,” she said.
“It sucks. There’s no one around this table willing to do this.”
When budget talks began in April, employees said they had narrowed an $8 million deficit to $4.2 million.
Councilors then voted on several measures that reduced the deficit to $2.4 million.
But at a subsequent session, council members added back items that brought the shortfall to $3 million.
Councilors Gordon MacDonald, Lorne Green and Steve Parsons advocated for staff to reduce travel and overtime costs and find other cuts.
count. Ken Tracey said he was not interested in cutting overtime budgets for firefighters or police because those services are needed to protect residents. count. Eldon MacDonald said he would not support cuts that could lead to less salting or plowing in winter.
Those who voted in favor of the tax increase included:
- Mayor Amanda McDougall,
- count. Darren O’Quinn,
- count. Darren Bruckschwaiger,
- count. Ken Tracey,
- count. Eldon McDonald,
- count. Steve Gillespie and
- count. Earlene MacMullin.
Those who voted against:
- count. Lorne Green,
- Deputy Mayor James Edwards,
- count. Steve Parsons,
- count. Glen Paruch,
- count. Cyril MacDonald and
- count. Gordon McDonald.
On Tuesday, council members again started with a $4.2 million shortfall on a budget of about $174 million and voted to put $418,000 into the operating reserve account.
In addition to raising the general tax rate by 3.5 percent, they also voted to lower the fire hydrant levy by two cents per $100 bill and raise the transit tax to 12.5 cents per $100 bill for properties near bus routes .
However, councilors decided not to charge residents with tips at the dump, despite approving the suggestion earlier this year.
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