Councillors approve municipal budget that includes tax increase

The Halifax Regional Municipality’s budget received a final stamp of approval on Tuesday.

The budget committee, made up of the mayor and council, voted 14 to 3 in favour of the fiscal plan after months of debate and votes on individual budget units. Councillors Shawn Cleary, John Young and Mayor Andy Fillmore voted against the budget.

The budget includes a tax increase of 9.5 per cent. According to the municipality, the average single-family household residential total tax bill, when including provincial and mandatory rates, will increase 7.5 per cent.

Ahead of the vote, councillors offered their thoughts on the budget process, including Fillmore, who said many residents told him they’re unhappy with where council landed on the budget.

“The tax increase remains higher than many of our residents can reasonably afford,” Fillmore told council. “In my own view, and only my own view, I think we missed some opportunities to improve affordability.”

Several councillors who said they disagreed with the budget direction still voted in its favour, including Trish Purdy, who said going through the process again would lead to the same result.

“We’ve gone over every line item and voted on everything that we possibly could,” Purdy told council. “It would be the same result.”

“We’re trying to position HRM as a community people choose to live in, so that means necessary investments,” said Councillor Jean St-Amand. “It’s about fair taxes, not the lowest taxes.”

During the budget process, Fillmore brought forward motions aimed at finding savings, including a motion to cut municipal wages over three years. He also asked for an increase to his office’s budget for an additional communications position, saying the mayor’s office budget had been static for more than 10 years.