Pictou County council received the results of an audit of the county’s tax sale process, and it comes with a hefty bill.
The Department of Municipal Affairs ordered the audit after requests for information about the tax sale process in the county did not satisfactorily answer questions the department had. Two members of the Department made a presentation to council with a summary of the audit’s findings and recommendations.
Looking over a five year period, the report found no conflicts of interest or wrongdoing, but among the five recommendations were a better software system to help staff keep track of properties in arrears, along with clearer policies about tax sales that satisfy section 144 of the Municipal Government Act.
Pictou County Warden Robert Parker
Council is already working on the recommendations, but several councilors balked at the 109 Thousand Dollar price tag for the work. Warden Robert Parker noted during council discussion that the work done for this audit will help to establish best practices on tax sales for all municipalities, therefore the province should foot some of the cost, and they plan to enter discussions with the province about that.