‘Fiscally responsible budget’ approved

Annapolis County tax rates unchanged but assessments have gone up

The tax rates will remain the same this year in the Municipality of Annapolis County.

Councillors were able to hold the line based on receiving $1.89 million in increased revenue as assessments have gone up 13 per cent.

Councillors recently approved the $21.6-million operating budget and set the residential and commercial tax rates at $1.025 and $1.80 per $100 of assessed value, respectively.

“Council was pleased to approve a fiscally responsible budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year with no increase to the

tax rate,” Annapolis County Warden Alex Morrison said in a news release. “This has been a challenging year with an unprecedented increase in inflation and rapidly increasing interest. The cost of

providing services is steadily increasing, so ensuring fiscal sustainability over time was a serious consideration in our decision-making.”

The operating budget includes everything from governance and administration to roads, sewer services, garbage collection and disposal, recreation services, and protection services. While it has many revenue sources, including user fees, government transfers, grants in lieu of taxation for other government-owned properties and reserves, it is predominantly funded via property tax.

Expenditures include mandatory payments to federal and provincial entities like RCMP and education, in addition to local services.

“There are always obstacles to face when preparing a municipal budget. The goal is trying to balance the affordability for residents,” Morrison said. “We strove to create a 2023-24 operating budget that would allow us to build future sustainability and address the needs of the ageing infrastructure while keeping the tax rate the same as the prior fiscal year.”

The Bridgetown community rates have decreased from $0.006514 to $0.003995 per $100 of assessment.

The approved 2023-24 budget is now available to view at AnnapolisCounty.ca.