Town of Yarmouth lowers tax rates

The Town of Yarmouth has approved its budget for 2017-18 and it includes lower tax rates.

The new residential rate is $1.64 per $100 of assessment, down by three cents, and the commercial rate is $4.26, a five-cent decrease.

The town has a surplus of about $87,000 on a 17-and-a-half-million-dollar budget.

Mayor Pam Mood said the town has quite a few projects on the go or on the way, including the demolition of part of the former Domtex building, roads and sidewalk work and a major Communities in Bloom event.

“Th’YARC issue is coming up,” she said. “Of course the Mariners Centre. Let’s not forget the download of schools from the province.”

Virtually all the town does, she said, has a cost. “Everything we do – from streetlights to events – costs money,” she said.

On a positive note, she said, “The tax base is starting to show signs of improvement.” The town’s infrastructure work and other initiatives are helping the town continue to move in the right direction, she said.

“We are certainly on the upswing,” she said.