The tax rates for the town of Antigonish went up.
Last night, town council approved its residential-resource tax rate at $1.13 per $100 of assessment and the commercial tax rate at $2.65 per $100 of assessment. This increases both rates by 2 cents over last year.
Antigonish Mayor Laurie Boucher said the town increased the rates in part due to the increased capital budget. She also pointed to the added expectations of municipalities, such as affordable housing, climate change mitigation, and doctor recruitment, which she said are obligations municipalities didn’t have 15-20 years ago.
Even with the increase, the town still has the lowest residential tax rate for towns in Nova Scotia by about 30 cents.
Antigonish Town Council approved the 2024-2025 municipal operating budget of $13,061,933 and the capital budget at $24,482,681. As for bigger ticket items in the budget, Boucher mentioned capital projects on Bay Street, the active transportation trail, and proposed paving on Hawthorne Street.