No residential, commercial tax rate increases in Charlottetown budget
The Charlottetown City Council has approved the 2024-2025 capital and operating budgets, promising no increases to residential or commercial tax rates in the fiscal year.
According to a news release from Charlottetown, the operational budget is $86.4 million while the capital budget is $45.8 million. The Water and Sewer Utility will have $15.8 million for its operational budget.
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, council approved $77.5 million for the operational budget and $15.6 million for Water and Sewer.
“Council heard residents when they said public safety was their number one concern and I know Council ensured that concern was addressed in this budget,” said Councillor John McAleer, in the release.
Highlights of the budgets include:
- $20.8 million to maintain existing and build new roads and sidewalks, along with complete the Pownal Parkade restoration
- $15.9 million for Charlottetown Police Services to get five new officers and establish a mobile critical incident command
- $5.6 million for the Charlottetown Fire Department to get a new fast rescue craft, two new supervisors, and upgraded self-contained breathing apparatuses
- $5.3 million to upgrade parks, playgrounds, and the Charlottetown Yacht Club seawall; it will also help keep the Simmons multi-sport and recreation centre running
- $4.2 million to include a new public transit depot with an expanded fleet, 19 storage and charging bays, and three maintenance bays
Water and Sewer Utility rates will increase three per cent, which translates to $19.08 annually or five cents daily for the average household, according to the release.
“What truly stood out to me was the transparency with which this budget process took place,” said Mayor Philip Brown. “For the first time, residents and taxpayers were able to watch presentations, listen to debates and really experience the entire process as it was happening.
For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Feds 'not interested' in investing in LNG facilities: energy minister
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the federal government is 'not interested' in subsidizing future liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, including the electrification of projects currently in the works.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Aerial photos show wide devastation left by tornado in China's Guangzhou
Aerial photos posted by Chinese state media on Sunday showed the wide devastation of a part of the southern city of Guangzhou after a tornado swept through the day before, killing five people, injuring dozens others and damaging over a hundred buildings.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
A top Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a ceasefire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged both Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds on both sides to move toward a deal that would set Israeli hostages free and bring potential respite in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Russian drones set a hotel ablaze in a Ukrainian Black Sea city
Russian drones early Sunday struck the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, setting a hotel ablaze and damaging energy infrastructure, the local Ukrainian governor reported, while ammunition shortages continued to hobble Kyiv's troops in the more than two-year-old war.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.