One step forward one step back for taxpayers in Mahone Bay.
The budget released Thursday will mean a higher tax bill for home and business owners after a significant decrease last year.
The new rates will sit at $1.16 for residential and $2.95 for commercial properties, similar to where they stood two years ago.
That’s a five and nine cent bump.
Mayor Joe Feeney says they had little choice.
“We had an increase in the budget expenditures,” he says, “with not enough money to cover them off with the tax rate that we used last year.”
Feeney says increased costs for provincial services played a big roll.
“Our policing costs and our educational costs would have warranted, by themselves, a tax increase of at least three cents.”
He says council tried to trim costs wherever possible.
However, he says the increase was necessary to keep providing the same level of service.
Feeney says the extra capitol will be spent on things like re-paving and replacing the Kinburn Street Bridge
