Cumberland Cuts Taxes in Record Budget

Cumberland Municipal Council met early this morning to approve its 2023-24 budget, with proposed spending of $36.4 million.

The residential tax rate is $1.14 per hundred dollars of assessment, down three cents from last year. The commercial rate was struck at $2.71, five cents lower than last year.

The tax rates declined despite a substantial boost in spending, thanks in large part to a more than 12% hike in property assessment.

Springhill residents add 48 cents for their area rate, while Pugwash property owners will pay an additional 35 cents for village taxes. The Village tax rate in River Hebert remains at 10 cents for residence and commercial.

The actual revenue from all sources is $36,406,661, with property tax accounting for $27,329,391.

Expenditures include: Public Works $4,236,086, Financial Services 3,702,330, Protective Services 3,340,475, General Administration 2,475,498, and Recreation and Community  Services expenses of 2,163,524.

Sewage treatment and collection rates remained the same as last year with fixed rural rates at $439 in Amherst Marsh, Biggs Drive, Joggins, Maccan, Pugwash, River Hebert, and Wallace.

The Springhill and Athol Road sewer rates are $265, with charges metered in Parrsboro at $2.65 per cubic metre.

The county will spend over $5 million this year on fire services as it begins to embrace numerous recommendations from a major fire service review conducted a year ago. 

Council set aside $1.2 million each to replace the fire halls in Springhill and Parrsboro, with another $1.5 million for fire apparatus.

They also allocated $400,000 to reserves for future fire service expenses.

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