PORT HAWKESBURY - According to the town’s Director of Finance, rising assessments on the residential and commercial side have made it easier to keep tax rates in check once again.

Erin MacEachen told town councillors gathered at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre’s Shannon Studio earlier this week that residential assessments have risen 8.8 per cent from this time last year. This is still the lowest rise in Cape Breton, but MacEachen described the situation as “stable" compared to assessment figures from 2014.

Similarly, commercial assessments have risen by 7 per cent. While that figure is still 11 per cent lower than it was in 2014, MacEachen suggested “we’re getting there.”

This has also helped Port Hawkesbury avoid dipping too deeply into its municipal reserve. Only a year ago, the town needed $146,000 from its reserves to present a balanced budget.  This time around, that figure was just under $9,000.

As a result, tax rates will remain unchanged for Port Hawkesbury residents and businesses over the next twelve months. On the residential side, it’s $1.80 per $100 of assessment, and the commercial tax rate stays at $4.16 $100 of assessment. In presenting these figures, MacEachen once again noted that Port Hawkesbury’s residential tax rate hasn’t gone up since 1987.

The budget passed unanimously, without any complaints raised by councillors. Following the meeting, Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton praised town staff and councillors for ensuring that Port Hawkesbury residents wouldn’t feel a pinch in their pocketbooks, even though the town is continuing to pursue an aggressive capital spending plan. 

This includes the extension of a recently-completed active-transportation trail along the Port Hawkesbury waterfront up to Granville Street, where it will eventually link to Sunset Park, one of the town’s most popular scenic outdoor locations. Port Hawkesbury is also continuing a major water infrastructure upgrade that it began earlier this year with assistance from the provincial and federal governments.

In marking her budget presentation, the Director of Finance noted that rising costs in the policing and public works arenas made her job a little more difficult this year.

Also on TELILE 24/7 this week:

2:11 - Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton defended her decision to attend a Canadian-German wind energy conference at the end of June in Germany, less than two months after participating in the WindEnergy2023 conference held in the Danish capital of Copenhagen during the last week of Germany. 

20:54 - Port Hawkesbury Pride officials held a protest event called "TRANScend March" on June 10 in response to a rising number of government actions - both in Atlantic Canada and across the United States - that are seen as discriminatory and even dangerous by many members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

30:59 - Isle Madame Garden Club president Claire Doyle spoke to Telile general manager Becky Bourinot about the club's plans to partner with the Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council regarding a problematic plant species known as Woodland Angelica. 

47:39 - Port Hawkesbury Director of Finance Erin MacEachen confirmed that the town will increase its Low Income Tax-Exemption from $200 to $350, with households making a base salary at or below $24,000 eligible to apply for the exemption. 

50:10 - While confirming that provincial monies have been made available from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage for upgrades to the town waterfront, Port Hawkesbury Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Terry Doyle confirmed that the town will also seek $37,500 from the provincial Community Works Program to make upgrades on the Granville Green outdoor concert site, the Port Hawkesbury Community Park and Playground, and Sunset Park, located at the intersection of Granville and Prince Streets. 

52:52 - A disagreement arose at the June regular monthly meeting of Port Hawkesbury Town Council as to whether a funding request for new and improved lighting at the Dan Willie MacDonald Memorial Ball Field should be expanded to include upgrades to the nearby Port Hawkesbury soccer field.