For Immediate Release
Richmond County, NS – Richmond County Council approved its 2023/2024 budget at a Special Council meeting on June 1, 2023, resulting in no increases to either the residential or commercial tax rates. The budget comes in balanced at just over $16.8 million with strategic investments in communities, health, infrastructure and growth.
Highlights of the budget include an increase in mandatory contributions for services such as policing and education of over $400,000. On a budget that generates approximately $104,000 in revenue for every one cent of tax charged, the pressure created by these expenses which Council must pay to the province was offset by the increase in property values over the last year.
Council has made investments with regard to personnel, adding critical resources to Information Technology/Cyber Security and Community Engagement. Warden Amanda Mombourquette noted that “Through these investments, we're committing to keeping our digital operations and constituent data safe, and to following through on our promise to support communities.”
Richmond County’s 2023/24 budget will be good news for many community groups who contribute hundreds of volunteer hours each year to their communities as the grants and contributions program has been slightly increased and will be open for applications throughout the year. The budget also includes significant investment in healthcare on items such as Physician Recruitment, Seniors Safety and Social Inclusion, the Cape Breton Regional Cancer Centre, and Hospital Foundations.
“Although Richmond County continues to have one of the lowest tax rates in the province, we recognize that the increase in assessment values will be difficult for some people to bear so Councillors unanimously agreed that a tax rate increase was out of the question for us this year,” explained Warden Amanda Mombourquette. She further noted “Our aging infrastructure demands attention in order to ensure continued service that is environmentally sound. Health and wellness must continue to be a focus to ensure that our residents have access to affordable programs and services. Last but not least, from a community perspective, we felt it was a priority to continue to make funds available for grant applications so we can fund projects as they arise and enable groups to leverage funding from other sources.”
– 30 –