Cape Breton residents get relatively rare tax break

It's a little number which could mean a lot to residents of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality: they are getting a tax break.

The municipality’s council took just one day on Wednesday to pass an operating budget that will see residential taxes drop 4.7 per cent.

Glace Bay resident Jeff Clements says something had to give, especially with property assessment values having gone up again.

"I was actually super excited," said Clements upon first hearing of the budget and tax break. "The housing in 10 years’ time is going to be unachievable for anyone who is looking to stay and reside in the CBRM, and so people are going to look for options and leave."

"We had a good news budget this year, with extra revenue for us to be able to do extra work," said councillor Eldon MacDonald.

MacDonald said that's partly because the Nova Scotia government no longer taxes municipalities for corrections and housing.

He also credited big increases in property values, and the planned switch to a new user-pay model for wastewater.

"There could be a savings of anywhere from $50 a year for a household that's a lower-assessed property, where a higher-assessed property could save several hundred dollars a year," MacDonald said.

While a municipal election is coming in October, MacDonald said this wasn't an election budget.

"I look at it that this is the revenue we have," MacDonald said. “How do we best service our community? How do we make our community better for the people who are living here, and to attract new people to come and live here?"

Meanwhile, the municipality’s new capital budget will give infrastructure a 20 per cent boost, and spend more on operations.

Clements says while he's been critical in the past, he feels this budget was a good strategic move.

"I'm going to support them this time," Clements said. “I think they did a great job taking into consideration this user-pay model, specifically around sewer, and I hope they do this for other things as well."

Council also unanimously approved a motion to ask the provincial government to pave 16 J-class rural roads, at a cost of more than $2 million.

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