*updated: a previous version of this article stated the Sackville Commons Co-operative received reimbursement from the municipality under it’s tax-incentive program. It is the Freshwinds Eco-village Housing Co-operative*
Tight start to the 2026 budget
The word from Treasurer Michael Beal is that things are going to be ‘tight’.
Tantramar council met Tuesday night for more than two hours to review its first draft of the 2026 operating budget. Staff say the budget is tight, with limited flexibility and ongoing financial pressure from the province’s property assessment freeze.
Hear the story below:
Beal told councillors the municipality is starting the year in the red. Tantramar expects about $298,000 in new assessment revenue for 2026, but $183,000 of that will reimburse the Freshwinds Eco-village Housing Co-operative* – the only property under the town’s tax-incentive program. Wage increases will cost another $365,000, leaving a starting deficit of roughly $250,000.
To balance the draft, Beal removed a $250,000 transfer that would normally go into a reserve fund for future capital projects. He also shifted about $150,000 for new fire-department radios into the capital budget.
Assessment frustrations and property gaps
Beal said one of his biggest frustrations is how unevenly properties are assessed across Tantramar. He said homeowners continue to see steady increases, while institutional and government properties such as schools, hospitals, and the Dorchester Penitentiary remain largely flat.
“General residential, which would be everybody that owns a house, went up 2.12 percent, and general non-residential went up 2.14 percent,” said Beal. “Provincial residential and provincial non-residential went up 1 percent for residential and 0.01 percent for non-residential. Federal residential and federal non-residential, zero flat.”
A recent Plan 360 report showed $7 million in building permits for institutional properties, but assessed values rose by only $2 million.
Provincial policies under fire
Mayor Andrew Black said the province’s property-tax freeze is placing more pressure on municipalities and taxpayers.
“92.9% of our funding to do everything that we have to do within our municipality is rom property taxes,” said Black. “The provincial average across the province is 84%, which is incredibly high.”
He added that the decision to freeze assessments was made unilaterally by the province, without input from municipalities.
“This decision was made without asking any municipalities if they felt that this was a good idea,” he said. “It was not asked of any municipal association in the province if this was a good idea. It was made unilaterally by the provincial government.”
Highway calls and no compensation
Fire Chief Craig Bowser told council Tantramar’s fire departments responded to 76 highway calls last year, including collisions and medical assists on provincial roads. “We get a lot of calls on the highways, 76 last year alone,” said Bowser. “We don’t get compensated for that, and our resources are stretched when we’re out on the highway.”
Beal confirmed the same applies to policing. “Do we get anything for highways? The answer to that is no,” he said. “And the same in policing? No.”
Infrastructure concerns and public works
The discussion also turned to infrastructure. Councillor Josh Goguen said road patching fell behind this year after additional funds requested by public works were cut from the budget. “Hearing that some of the patching was removed from the road budget, and this year, patching was not what it was in previous years,” said Goguen.
Councillors Barry Hicks and Debbie Wiggins-Colwell said more maintenance work could be done in-house to save money.
Debate over tax options
Council remains divided on how to handle tax rates for 2026. Councillor Bruce Phinney said it’s time to tighten spending and hold rates steady. “Maybe it’s time for us to really hold things as they are, tighten our belt and find ways of being able to still provide the services that we do,” said Phinney.
Acknowledging the ‘unpopular opinion’, Councillor Allison Butcher argued that a modest increase would have minimal impact on most households. “If someone has a $300,000 home and it goes up one and a half cents, they’re paying a total of $45 more for the whole year,” said Butcher. “That’s a sweater. I can do without one sweater. We’re talking the cost of a coffee a month.”
Council will meet again today at 3pm for further budget discussions. To catch it live, or after, click here.
