St. Mary's holds tax rates for 2013-2014

By Lois Ann Dort

SHERBROOKE – The Municipality of the District of St. Mary's is holding the line on taxes this year. The 2013-2014 budget for the municipality, passed on April 30, saw no change in either residential or commercial taxes maintaining, respectively, the $0.82 and $2.13 per $100 of assessment tax rates.

Garbage charges have risen to $86.94 per dwelling unit and commercial assessment. The municipality has increased spending on education by 2.1 percent making it 18 percent of the total municipal budget. Policing costs have risen by two percent while corrections cost have gone down by 1.1 percent. Transfer station garbage fees have gone up 3.8 percent due to an increase in tipping fees for recyclables and the municipality's contract for universal garbage pickup. The total budget for the municipality is $2,964,523.

In other business, Paul Colton of the Department of Transportation gave a presentation to council at the regular council meeting on Monday, May 13. In his presentation, Colton outlined paving plans for the next three years in the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's. These plans include: 16 kilometres on Trunk 7 from Sherbrooke to Melrose, Hwy 211 from Port Hilford to Port Bickerton, six kilometres on Hwy 347 from the Aspen intersection on Trunk 7, and 3.5 kilometres on Hwy 348 from Smithfield towards New Glasgow. St. Mary's warden Dave Clark told The Journal he expected some of these projects would be put out to tender before the end of June.

The new municipal office in Sherbrooke is moving closer to completion. Municipal staff expect to move into the new facility in mid-June. The grand opening ceremony for the building is tentatively scheduled for September 7.

The Port Bickerton Planning Association and the municipality have signed a lease agreement for the Port Bickerton Lighthouse. There will be an official ribbon cutting on June 15 at the lighthouse.

At the council meeting a motion was passed to put the demolition of the former Goshen Enterprises building in Goshen out to tender. The building has been in steady decline since the business closed several years ago and has been deemed a hazard to the community.