Antigonish Town Council has approved a budget of $10.67 million and a $3 million capital plan. The budget also holds the line on property tax rates; the residential
Tributes were paid at Antigonish Council on the courage taken by previous councils to move ahead with an ambitious wind energy project with two other Nova Scotia towns.
rate is $1.09 per $100 of assessment while the commercial is $2.61; both unchanged from last year. Sewer rates will rise $8.19 on the average resident’s quarterly bill. Money collected from this increase will be held in reserve to repair or replace sewer lines as needed. The residential curbside waste collection rate is also up $8.14 per equivalent unit per year because of a significant reduction in the town’s recycling disbursement grant.
Mayor Laurie Boucher says she’s pleased with this budget, with no change in the tax rate and a number of capital projects planned.
The parking lot improvements will see the removal of meters, to be replaced with kiosks. The town has earmarked funds for 7 paving and 9 sidewalk projects. The town is also setting aside funds for a future upgrade of the tennis courts. Antigonish Council has also committed $157,000 in the budget for grants to organizations
Tributes were also paid to previous councils for taking the brave step in partnering with the towns of Berwick and Mahone Bay on a wind energy project. The town has received a $1.1 million dividend from that partnership. Mayor Laurie Boucher says that partnership with the Alternative Resource Energy Authority has opened new opportunities for Antigonish.
In the budget there’s $17,000 set aside for a potential partnership with the County of Antigonish for an Active Transportation Plan and a dog park, funding for a future use assessment of Chisholm Park and $35,000 in flood mitigation efforts.