Pictou County will be holding its tax rate for another year. Warden Robert Parker said this year’s budget was one of the most difficult to balance without a tax increase in many years, and while the rates have not changed – the residential rate at 81.5 cents per $100 assessed value and the commercial rate at $1.82.5 per $100 assessed value – residents may still see a higher tax bill because of an increase in assessed property values, which climbed province-wide. The operating budget for 2023/2024 is roughly $23.27 million dollars.
While the various parts of the budget all passed, councilors did flag some issues to be dealt with in the future. Debbie Wadden noted that the current funding formulas for county fire departments ends after this fiscal year, and council needs to come up with a fairer system. Councilor David Parker wondered whether the county should continue to collect water rates from all residents, when two thirds of them still use their own well water.