ANTIGONISH — Ratepayers in the Town of Antigonish should expect an increase in their tax bills.
With a bump of $.17 per $100 of assessment, residential owners will be paying $1.30, while for commercial customers, with a hike of $.25, it comes in at $2.90 – with approval of the proposed budget.
Those tax increases shared with The Journal were expected to be passed by council during a special meeting on Tuesday evening (June 3), after our press time. The town’s budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which includes more than $20-million in capital spending, is officially adopted after a majority vote of council.
“It is needed to do what is required,” Mayor Sean Cameron said during an interview in the lead-up to the anticipated approval of the financial forecast, adding the tax increases were “necessitated by the lack of funding that has been put into our infrastructure [by previous councils].”
When asked if it was a decision taken lightly, the veteran municipal councillor offered emphatically, “Absolutely not,” while offering that the revenue collected from those higher taxes is required to carry out “necessary infrastructure projects,” explaining that – for the town and its residents – they will “improve our way of living by providing more sidewalks, safer roads, make improvements to our existing facilities and strengthen your confidence in your elected officials.”
Cameron explained that council held several committee of the whole (COTW) and audit committee meetings over the past month to review and provide direction to municipal staff on budget drafts. The latest one, which was reviewed on May 27, included revenue of $16,534,588, while delivering $22 million in capital projects, along with the reduction in the proposed residential tax hike from $.20 to $.17.
‘Hard decision’
Cameron told The Journal that council has “made the hard decision to stand fast and do the heavy lifting now and not pass on these issues for another council to deal with.”
He added that council has, over its four-year term that began last fall, “made a commitment to the voters that we make improvements to our infrastructure, do all the necessary work and task staff to secure any external funding opportunities to assist us.”
Cameron noted that along with the 2025-26 budget, council would be voting on a five-year strategic plan that includes a blueprint on dealing with the mounting infrastructure challenges.
“It was a hard decision,” he reiterated, adding that council is committed to “doing the heavy lifting,” while noting that new projects are “great” but “we cannot neglect existing needs.”
One of those, Cameron explained, is work on West St., which he described as “in a sorry state.”
Unfortunately, he noted, the $1.4 million project includes digging up and replacing new paving that was poured during work as part of the active transportation initiative on that roadway, in order to accommodate the water and sewer infrastructure replacement.
The pending budget includes $1.41 million for work on West St. along with James St., pending $2.71 million in provincial funding.
New infrastructure is key
The projected capital spending also includes an extensive summer effort on Bay St., one that extends from the bridge on the east end of town to beyond the entrance to St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. The to-do list includes new water and sewer pipes, a wider street and sidewalks, the relocation of power poles, an active transportation trail and flood mitigation. The town’s estimated contribution to the initiative will be $1.52 million.
“The partnership is working very well,” Cameron offered of the financial contributions ($900,000) the Municipality of the County of Antigonish is making to this project, along with the ongoing multi-million measures being taken at the town’s sewage treatment plant. Fifty per cent of the funding for the projected $5.4 million is for front-end upgrades.
Town officials also indicated that, as part of the financial forecast, there will be “a significant focus on reliability and resilience through grid modernization in the electric utility sector, reflecting a substantial $5.79 million commitment to improving long-term service stability and reliability.”
The planned capital spending envelope also includes a new sidewalk on Greening Dr., which will connect James St. and Highland Dr., a high-traffic, well-travelled stretch located near Antigonish Education Centre and Saint Andrew Junior School.
Cameron explained that this project will be completed by a soon-to-be established seasonal work crew under the direction of the town’s public works department. Even though the sidewalk will be made with concrete – because the department does not have asphalt equipment – which costs more, he pointed out the overall effort will cost “half the price” because of the new approach.
After taking care of infrastructure needs on West and Bay streets, Cameron estimated that the town will turn its attention to Hawthorne and then Main St.
“Something has to be done,” he noted of a pending decision to be made on what the town will plan with the aging College St. bridge, including if a transition will be made to a pedestrian-only span, or it will continue with vehicle traffic.
Doing it right
With council’s vision for paring down the grocery list of infrastructure needs, Cameron offered, “We are going to do it right,” while cautioning everything will not be completed overnight.
He added, “It took years and years to get into this mess.”
As for how that happened, Cameron – a long-time town councillor, who was absent from 2016-20 after losing the mayoral race to Laurie Boucher – remembered, after returning to council in 2020, receiving a proposed budget, with “very little detail,” during an in-camera meeting; one that was voted on a half-hour later. He offered that as a potential contributing factor.
When it comes to the argument that increased assessments will provide more municipal revenue, Cameron cautioned, “We don’t get a whole lot,” when it comes to gains from increased assessments. Such a bump also means an increase in mandated education transfers (a projected $115,000 increase) and RCMP payments, non-discretionary spending that the town has no control over.
“We are still pretty good,” he offered, when asked if residents should be concerned with the town’s financial health, noting that Antigonish continues to receive strong ratings when the province collects information – financial, demographic and administration indicators – that reflects the condition and health of municipalities.
He also pointed out that the town has $3-$4 million in reserves that can be tapped into, while noting that we “have to replace those” when used.
With an eye towards increasing revenue, Cameron offered that there are “a lot of things that we can do,” pointing to the potential bounce back for Alternative Resource Energy Authority (AREA), its partnership with the towns of Berwick and Mahone Bay. There are also the projected opportunities stemming from a solar garden initiative that Cameron noted was “over budget and overdue.”
The town’s recommended budget for 2025-26 also includes a partnership with its county neighbours on the installation of new source water test wells through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Monies have also been earmarked for equipment purchases, including a front-end loader and salt truck, along with investments in modernizing internal systems aimed at improving human resources, safety and time tracking.
Despite hikes, taxes still low
“While these are big investments, the reality is that deferring them would only increase the cost to taxpayers in the future,” Cameron said, adding that it allows the town “to move forward responsibly and sustainably,” with financial support of up to $8.7 million from federal and provincial partners.
Although comfortable with the probable tax increases, Cameron stressed that council is fully aware that “it is still a hit” for ratepayers, an impact on the cost of living for residents.
Earlier in the budgetary process, council approved an increase in the low-income threshold for ratepayers from $28,510 to $35,000, while moving from a flat to a tiered exemption rate ranging from $250 to $750.
Cameron also noted that residents have been vocal about the need for infrastructure improvements.
“To do so requires significant investment, which necessitates these tax increases,” he explained.
Cameron also pointed out that, even with the hikes, Antigonish will continue to have the lowest residential tax rate of any town in Nova Scotia.
He offered, “This council has taken steps to make corrective actions to get our roads, sidewalks and more importantly the aging pipes replaced.”
Cameron added, “We will no longer accept paving a road only to have to dig it up to repair water breaks.”
Faced with challenges, such as rising inflation and service delivery cost, town officials indicated that council “focused on maintaining core operations while maximizing the impact of every tax dollar through strong external funding partnerships for investments in water, sewer, electric utility and roads.”
