It the largest budget our city has passed at $1.2 billion and will see tax rates bump up for homeowners by about $130 annually.

The average residential tax bill is increasing by 5.9 per cent to a total of about $2,288. Due to the increase in property assessment values, the municipal residential tax rate will decrease from 0.794 to 0.760.

“After months of thorough and open discussions and debate, Council today approved a budget that supports service levels, maintains a state of good repair of municipal assets, and positions us for continued inclusive and sustainable growth,” said Mayor Mike Savage.

A new commercial taxation policy came into effect on April 1, 2023, changing the way that commercial property taxes are calculated going forward. Geographical tax boundaries for commercial properties will change from the previous urban, suburban and rural areas to one of five new tax areas.

Rates will vary by assessed value of the property, within three tiers of assessment. The rates for each tier and tax area will be updated at halifax.ca/taxrates.

Council also decided to back peddle on charging for parking on Saturday’s, which created a lot of backlash among businesses and residents. Obladee Wine Bar’s Christian Rankin says it would have had a negative impact.

“The cost of doing business in downtown Halifax, especially on the ground floor, are escalating rapidly and relentlessly and we simply have fewer people that are out and about by day and by night.”

The move would have brought in more than $500,000 in new revenue for the city, but council listened to concerns from the community.

“I am proud that Mayor Savage and Regional Council have approved a municipal budget that is fiscally responsible and allows us to continue meeting the needs of our more than 480,000 residents,” said Cathie O’Toole, Chief Administrative Officer. “I think we can all agree that this has been a challenging year, with unprecedented growth, increased demands for service and high inflation.  But I am confident that we have a comprehensive budget that will allow us to continue building a vibrant, safe and sustainable municipality now and into the future.”

Some big ticket items in the budget will see the city pay just over $40 million for new electric buses and $35 million for the Cogswell project.

Key programs and capital projects

Halifax Transit

• Electric bus procurement and Ragged Lake Transit Centre expansion – $40.7 million
• Burnside Transit Centre eco‐rebuild – design phase – $20.8 million

Environment

• HalifACT projects (for building retrofits, adaptation, etc.) – $20.7 million
• HalifACT seven new staff positions – $412,000

Community safety

• 15 additional rural fire fighters – $137,000
• New Community Safety business unit created – $400,000
• Framework for Addressing Homelessness – $1.1 million
• New Navigator position – $125,000
• Bedford West fire station – $16 million

Transportation

• Cogswell District project – $35.6 million
• Integrated Mobility Plan projects – $45.8 million

Recreation and community

• Affordable access to recreation programming – $500,000
• Community action planning for African Nova Scotian communities – $300,000
• Arts grants funding increase – $100,000
• Halifax Public Libraries’ collections – $300,000
• Park recapitalization – $6.8 million
• Park land development – $1.4 million