Halifax Council Passes Budget with 7.5% Tax Hike

0:00Halifax Regional Council just greenlit their 2026-27 budget after months of back-and-forth packing in an operating spand of $1.45 billion and a capital budget of $316.7 million. The big headline is a 9.5% jump in the municipal slice of property taxes pushing average home and business bills up 7.5% overall. For a typical single-family spot assessed at $357,500 that shakes out to 284. Dollars more a year. They passed a Tuesday with a 14-3 vote and, yeah, the mayor was in that no camp. But Council folks like District 5, Sam Austin, called it a solid balance of tough calls, highlighting enough wins to move forward. Counselors pushed back on the mayor's name, stressing investments and stuff like 10 new articulated buses, 24 extra transit operators, 10 more firefighters, and 8 emergency communicators. They also trimmed pension costs and stashed cash for big projects,

1:02framing it a smart realignment amid tight wallets. Deputy Mayor Patty Cutthell noted they hunted down savings where they could, even with some must-have bumps tied to today's needs. Staff hailed it as one of the most sustainable plans yet, dodging deeper holes down the line. Mayor Andy Fillmore owns the pride points but stuck to his guns on the hike, vowing to pitch a stripped-down budget grind for next year to keep. Principles sharp and eyes on affordability. From your city powered by AI, this is Canada News Today.