Dan McDougall, interim CAO of the Region of Queens, and Mayor Scott Christian on Tuesday as councillors voted on their 2025/26 budget. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Region of Queens councillors approved a $31-million budget on Tuesday that held the line on tax rates while boosting support for people on low incomes.

The 2025-26 spending plan of $31.1 million is about $1.3 million higher than last year.

Councillors also approved a five-year, $46.2-million capital investment plan. That includes projects like the South Queens outdoor pool and the multimillion-dollar upgrades and extensions to water and sewer systems in Liverpool.

Mayor Scott Christian said it was a challenging process, but he’s happy with what this council helped accomplish in their first budget since the 2024 municipal election.

The municipality will add new staff positions that they say will help increase the region’s effectiveness. Those include a new human resources manager, a deputy chief administrative officer and a person dedicated to looking for funding opportunities for the region and non-profit groups. They’ve also made the senior safety co-ordinator a municipal employee.

“It’s frustrating because we have so much that we want to do outwardly in the community, but it’s challenging when you need to address this stuff inside the organization first,” Christian said after the meeting.

“I think that the approach was looking at what’s important, what’s a priority for us, and what improvements to the organization are required and then working from there.”

Councillors were helped again by rising property assessments, which increased by about $87 million, and generated $900,000 more in tax revenue.

That gave councillors room to raise the low-income tax exemption rebate by about 25 per cent. Those who qualify can now get up to a $500 discount on their property taxes.

They’ve also set up a $15,000 fund to help low-income water ratepayers deal with expected hikes.

And community groups are also getting more than $50,000 in extra help, including an annual rent subsidy for the Queens County Food Bank, more funding for Queens County Transit’s vehicle replacement fund and more help for Greenfield Recreation’s operations.

“Just recognizing the need, recognizing the affordability, making the changes that we did to the low-income tax piece, carving out money … around the big increase that we’re going to see to the water rate, trying to protect against the impacts of that on low-income households and then making investments like with the the food bank and some of those other groups. I think those are the highlights for me,” Christian said.

Residents on the municipal water and sewer system should brace for a significant jump in their bills in the coming year.

The municipality’s water utility is projecting a deficit of $813,099 for 2025-26, and shortfalls of $708,039 in 2026-27 and $745,280 in 2027-28.

Consultants are reviewing the region’s water rates. The results of that study are expected soon and will be submitted to the province’s Utility and Review Board for approval.

“We do know we are expecting a considerable increase to the water rate,” Christian said. 

“With respect to that north of $800,000 deficit on the utility, … we need to pay down that deficit and then accumulate a bit of a reserve so that when maintenance and repairs need to be performed to the water utility, that there is a reserve to pull from and that we don’t have to take money from the general revenue that’s provided by all taxpayers across the municipality. 
It’s supposed to be the water rate users who pay for the water utility.”

Councillors began their public budget deliberations on April 24. Christian has said that he hopes next year to begin budget talks as early as January, and to involve more public consultations.

Other highlights from the budget:

• Adding protective services co-ordinator to provide leadership and support for police, fire, emergency management and occupational health and safety
• Two new water/wastewater operators
• Creating full-time programmer/aquatics co-ordinator
• Increased budget for street sweeping and catch basin clearing
• Grey box site reconfiguration and signage in north Queens
• South Queens water/wastewater upgrades and Mount Pleasant extension – two kilometres of piped infrastructure to be replaced, eliminating overflows and addressing sea-level rise effects
• Caledonia wastewater system upgrades
• Dry hydrant installation
• Walking track fees waived at Queens Place Emera Centre
• Floating dock replacement on Henry Hensey Drive
• Creation of $1-million operating capital project reserve to fund smaller capital projects

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Regional councillors are back to budget talks on Tuesday evening. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens is about to announce who its new top staffer will be.

Councillors will publicly appoint the region’s new chief administrative officer at a special meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

In a staff report, acting municipal clerk Heather Cook says more than 40 applications for the job were received from across Canada.

Shortlisted candidates went through two interviews with the region’s CAO selection committee. That committee included Mayor Scott Christian, and councillors Maddie Charlton, Stewart Jenkins and Courtney Wentzell.

Councillors fired the previous CAO Cody Joudry in mid-December. No reason was given for his dismissal. Joudry was on the job for just over a year, hired in September 2023.

Dan McDougall has filled in as interim CAO since Joudry was fired.

The region’s new CAO is set to start the job in mid-June.

Queens councillors are also back to budget discussions on Tuesday evening. 

This will be the third public meeting about the 2025/26 budget.

Councillors began their budget deliberations on April 24 by looking at capital and infrastructure spending. Last week, they tackled the operating budget. 

On Tuesday evening, they’ll address issues that came up in the first two meetings, as well as any other changes or requests from councillors.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR last week that the region has about a $1-million surplus from 2024/25. But he said the specific surplus won’t be known until finance staff go through the final numbers and release the audited figures later this year.

Residents or the media were not provided with draft budget documents as they were last year. So far, only the region’s staff and councillors have a complete picture of the actual numbers from 2024/25 and the forecasted totals for this year.

The special meeting will be held at council chambers on White Point Road and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Shelly Panczyk is the chairwoman of the Queens County Food Bank in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

The Queens County Food Bank won’t have to worry about its rent for the next four years as Region of Queens councillors voted this week to give the group a rent subsidy.

As part of its budget talks, councillors agreed to the food bank’s request for an annual grant of $15,500 to cover the rent at its Main Street location in Liverpool. 

Shelly Panczyk, chair of the Queens County Food Bank, told QCCR on Thursday that “it’s a wonderful thing.”

“That helps us out because it will give us more working capital to purchase food,” she said.

“We’ve been back and forth with the last council. This is probably our fourth time trying to get something and this council has done it. And I’ve got to give them a good clap around, because they’ve done a good thing. And I think people will step up and be aware that this council is a workable council.”

Before the food bank was forced out of a derelict municipal property in 2019 and began leasing space on Main Street, it paid no rent. Demand for their services has grown, as food costs have risen and donations have plummeted by about 50 per cent.

About 240 families a month use the Liverpool group’s services.

Food bank representatives appealed to councillors at their March 25 meeting for rent relief after the organization was hit with a $10,000 bill to fix its freezer. It’s also committed to begin food pantries for elementary and high school students throughout Queens County.

Mayor Scott Christian said councillors are trying to make more room in the region’s budget to help residents on low or fixed incomes. Council is also considering expanding the region’s low-income property tax exemption program.

“It’s really hard when you’re an organization like Queens County Food Bank when you don’t have certainty of available resources, like you’re constantly competing for available grants,” he said.

“
Their board members did a good job of articulating the financial need that that group has and those are the type of investments I think this council likes to make, so I’m pleased to see if we spend $20 to $25,000 on the low-income tax exemptions and another $15,500 on the food bank, again, it’s challenging, and we need to make sure that the province pays their fair share as it relates to community wellness, but from my perspective, that’s money well spent from the municipality.” 

Council has another budget meeting scheduled for Tues., May 6 at 6 p.m.

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian, right, wraps up the municipality’s second budget meeting on Monday night. Also pictured is interim CAO Dan McDougall. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Region of Queens councillors began their 2025/26 budget discussions with some money in the bank from 2024/25, as they look to make life a little easier for people on low or fixed incomes.

Mayor Scott Christian said the region has a surplus in the million-dollar range. But he said it’s difficult to know for sure until finance staff crunch the final numbers.

Last year, council began budget deliberations with a $650,000 surplus from 2023/24. Nova Scotia municipalities are not allowed to run an operating budget deficit.

Councillors are following a different process this year. While the meetings are public, residents don’t have access to draft budget documents as they did in last year’s discussions.

“I think in past years, there was a lot of emphasis on starting with a tax rate and then working down or whittling away at that or as you add things, the tax rate implications,” Christian told QCCR.

“I think that this year we wanted to focus on funding the right things, identifying what are going to be appropriate things to include in the capital investment plan, and then get that operating budget right. 
So I think it was a conscious decision but that was staff-driven that they thought that let’s try to get it right, try to set the appropriate budget given what the needs of the community are, and then look at it on balance with revenue and see what the implications are for the ratepayer.”

In their second public budget meeting earlier this week, councillors discussed boosting the low-income property tax exemption and helping the Queens County Food Bank with its rent.

They also found out that the region has about $325,000 left over from the renovations to the new Thomas H. Raddall Library space. Councillors had approved up to $1.26 million for that work.

And revenue at Queens Place Emera Centre is forecasted to be down this year because of less advertising and sponsorship and no major full-facility rentals planned to March 31, 2026.

Heading into 2025/26, the region expects to get $20.5 million in property tax revenue, an increase of $900,000, based on the current base tax rate of $1.04 per $100 of assessment.

That increase is mostly due to higher property assessments, which rose by $86.9 million.

Director of corporate services Joanne Veinotte took councillors through the region’s preliminary operating budget.

It was a chance for councillors to request changes, more information or additional funding.

Councillors like District 4 representative Vicki Amirault want the low-income property tax exemption increased to give more relief potentially to more people. 

“I would like to up the income level,” she told councillors. “
I think we should up it $5,000 on each stage there, and up the rebate as well. I think it would be very helpful to our residents.”

Last year, the region increased the maximum income threshold to $35,000. Those in the lowest income range, up to $25,000, can get a $400 break on their taxes. Those in the top group can apply for up to $300 in relief.

Veinotte said she would report back to councillors on what relief the region could offer depending on how much more money councillors devote to the program.

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell said he wants council to have a serious look at the Mount Pleasant water and wastewater extension. The region has budgeted $10.8 million toward the $21-million project. The Nova Scotia government is covering the rest.

The project would extend municipal water and sewer access to two new private housing developments in Liverpool. It would also improve existing infrastructure.

“The extension to Mount Pleasant boggles my mind when we have so much infrastructure need, including sidewalks … but not just that, with the upgrades needed in water on the west side of town, up till Union Street, I’m really having some reservations about the extension at all,” Wentzell said.

“And I’m speaking from the heart. I’m sorry if that upsets some people.”

Christian said after the meeting that councillors want to understand what exactly is involved in that project and potentially look for ways to lower the municipality’s share of the cost. 

“This council’s not OK with incurring a huge amount of debt that could potentially be paid for by the general ratepayer and/or utilizing reserves that have been accumulated from the general ratepayer to pay for that service extension. And we currently don’t have any federal monies that are committed to that project. I think that that’s problematic. What is the plan with service extension? What impacts does that have on preparing us for future growth but also what impacts does it have, attending to known and foreseeable issues associated with the existing infrastructure for our utilities?”

Councillors will resume budget talks on Tues., May 6 at 6 p.m. at council chambers on White Point Road.

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian says council will begin budget talks later this month. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens still hasn’t begun its 2025/26 budget deliberations.

Mayor Scott Christian said this week the process will likely begin in the third week of April.

“Some time in the last two weeks of April and we will be notifying the public of that as soon as possible,” he told QCCR after Tuesday’s council meeting.

“Unexpected delays on the staff side preparing the numbers to get the starting point for the budget deliberation process in terms of understanding the lift (from increased property assessments) and our known operating and capital expenses.”

Budget deliberations were also delayed last year by the previous council. They began those talks in early April and finished by the end of the month.

This year, though, councillors will have even less time. Christian acknowledged that when the process does begin, it will be “expedited”.

“We’re right up against it. Tax bills need to come out in June, so it basically needs to be approved by the first council meeting in May to get our ducks in a row to have the tax bills (ready). 
That’s not ideal. It’s a point of frustration. 
We want to make it as engaging, transparent as possible. And we also want it to be a thoughtful, deliberate, intentional, patient approach. And unfortunately, we’re just not going to be in a position for the budget deliberations to be in that ideal state.”

He and Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton are away next week at a conference. He said that budget talks will begin the week after that.

Municipalities in Nova Scotia generally approve their budgets by the end of March. Two weeks ago, Queens councillors approved interim spending limits so that the region could keep paying its bills.

Christian said the region will be quicker out of the gate next year.

“I’d like to see the capital budget approved in December and have a draft of the operating budget available for public input in January.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens is expecting a budget surplus of $650,000 for the 2023/24 fiscal year, largely attributed to unfilled jobs, higher property assessments and a higher than expected take from the deed transfer tax.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the surplus isn’t all good news.

“Everyone’s a bit unhappy over that large surplus from last year, because that means we have staffing vacancies which is putting great pressures, especially on our Planning and our Public Works departments,” Norman said in an interview Wednesday.

“They are the two departments that have the greatest effect on people. Public Works we have projects that we were not able to do last year, such as the Liverpool bridge rail. The Old Burial Ground wall is in drastic need of a repair. The staffing vacancy is highly alarming. We hear as elected people from people who are waiting for the building permits, who are waiting for their inspections, who are having subdivision waits. That causes difficulty for our residents when they’re building and planning, be they commercial or residential.”

Queens councillors began their 2024/25 budget deliberations on Tuesday. Staff sent them details of the draft budget a few weeks ago. Councillors had a chance on Tuesday to ask questions about the proposed budget.

The budget process was delayed this year. All municipalities are supposed to have their budgets approved by March 31.

Norman said other municipalities in Nova Scotia have missed the March 31 deadline as well. Now that the region has filled the CAO position, she said she expects a more timely approach next year.

The proposed budget is just under $30 million, with an $8.5-million capital plan. There are no proposed tax rate increases at this time. But councillors are just beginning the process.

Councillors are set to offer additions or deletions to the budget at a meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m. 

Next Tuesday (April 16) at 9 a.m., Norman said the region’s fire services are scheduled to make a presentation to council where they’re expected to ask for a boost in funding.

The vote on the final budget is scheduled for April 23 at 6 p.m. All meetings are open to the public and are held at council chambers on White Point Road. And they will also be livestreamed on the region’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The region’s assessment roll increased by about 14 per cent or $148 million. That led to an estimated tax revenue increase of $1.6 million. But that meant that the amount the region pays the province for education services also went up by $500,000, for a net gain to the region of $1.1 million.

The higher-than-expected deed transfer tax revenue was about $340,000. 

Staff are also budgeting a $440,000 vacancy allowance to try to account for the difficulty in filling positions. 

“The thought is we are not going to be able to staff all those positions right away and there may be up to $440,000 of money that we have budgeted for this year that does not get spent on staffing,” Norman said.

“So we’re actually planning to be able to put that money into revenue rather than see it as an end-of-the-year surplus. It’s a tricky thing to do, because if there’s a miracle and we suddenly fill those vacant positions, then we’re going to be short that money on our revenue line on the budget. However, the last several years have not been conducive to filling some of those staff positions.”

Norman said that a couple of big capital expenses are not in the 2024/25 capital budget. The region is still working on funding for the proposed $8-million outdoor pool at Queens Place. And it is still doing studies and investigating funding for the requested $21-million extension of water and sewer services to the Mount Pleasant area.

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Region of Queens Municipality administration building. (Rick Conrad photo)

By Rick Conrad

Residents in Liverpool and parts of Brooklyn should brace for water rate hikes but not right away, Mayor Darlene Norman said Tuesday.

 “Please be prepared for a water utility rate study and a very probable increase in water utility rates,” Norman said in an interview.

Regional council got a better picture on Tuesday of the budget impact of the boil water advisory for Queens water utility customers from Aug. 9 to Oct. 5 last year.

The municipality had already budgeted last spring for a loss of $173,700 for the water utility. The treatment station was struck by lightning on Aug. 9. Residents on the municipal water supply were under a boil water order for eight weeks.

Joanne Veinotte, director of corporate services for the Region of Queens, gave councillors a third-quarter financial review on Tuesday. As of Dec. 31, the water utility has run an extra $252,655 over budget, or $426,355 so far. 

Norman said Queens water customers pay some of the lowest rates in the province. The utility must pay for itself and not run a deficit.

Before any rate increase, however, the utility has to prepare a rate study. The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board would have to approve any fee hike. 

Norman said she has no timeline for when that review may be done. She said council does not have the money in its current budget for the rate study. 

“The system is old, early 1900s. So it constantly needs repair and upgrading.

“It may well be the next council coming in in October that will be looking at the results of that study.”

Veinotte told councillors Tuesday that the region will be reimbursed for $82,000 from its insurance provider for the damage caused by the August lightning strike. 

“At the end of the day that claim is now finalized but we’re still dealing with some of the fallout from the lightning strike,” Veinotte told councillors.

In other positive financial news for the region, revenue from the 2.5 per cent deed transfer tax was again over budget for the third quarter.

Veinotte said the region brought in about $220,000 more than expected from the tax in the quarter and the region is expected to exceed its projection for the deed transfer tax by about 58 per cent for the whole fiscal year.

The region also got a higher-than-expected share of the Nova Scotia Power tax payout from the province of about $132,000.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens has passed a $44 million dollar budget without raising taxes.

The budget includes $27.3 million for operations, $14.4 million for capital projects, $1.7 million to operate Hillsview Acres long term care home and $798,000 for the water utility.

Residential property tax rates for 2023/24 have been set at a base of $1.07 for Districts 1-12 and $1.92 for district 13 per $100 of assessment.

Commercial rates have been set at $2.17 in Districts 1-12 and $3.02 in District 13 per $100 of assessment.

Those rates can vary depending on if a resident or business is in a zone that applies a premium to connect to municipal services or charges an area rate to fund the efforts of community organizations.

In an unusual move, council members voted to take $442,835 from their surplus account to balance the operational budget and avoid raising taxes.

Mayor Darlene Norman is worried that decision may come back to bite them next year.

“This has to be a one-time only thing. That $433,000 represents a four-cent tax rate increase,” said Norman. “Council chose not to do a four-cent tax rate increase and instead we’ve taken that operational money out of surplus. These operational costs do not go away, and they will be here next year.”

Norman is concerned pulling money from reserves to cover the operational costs this year just moves the problem into next year’s budget.

“When you’re not bringing in enough revenue to balance your expenses and you have to cut into side money, then are you really balancing your revenue with your expenses?” said Norman.

On the capital side of the budget, residents have a few big-ticket items to look forward to in 2023/24.

Some projects are ongoing such as the $3 million that has been set aside for the construction of a new library to replace the aging Thomas H Raddall in Liverpool.

The municipality is still trying to iron out a plan for the construction of a new outdoor pool.

Two million has been allocated from the Region to be added to the $3 million private donation to fund the pool’s construction.

A project manager has been hired to see if those two projects can be tied together and built alongside Queens Place Emera Centre.

The Region is also setting aside money for a couple of studies: one will look at extending the water infrastructure around Mt Pleasant for $137,000; another will see the municipality spend $175,000 to explore the possibility of moving the sidewalk to the outside of the bridge in Liverpool.

The budget also made clear the Region’s expenses are on the rise.

Policing costs for RCMP are up $200,000.

Queens also needs to increase the amount being placed in reserve for the eventual closure of the municipal landfill.

The landfill cell currently in use is scheduled to close  in 10 years and a new one opened in its place.*

The initial estimate for that effort was originally pegged at $8.5 million but as prices have continued to rise that estimate is now closer to $19 million, three times the original amount.

*An earlier version of this story indicated the landfill was set to close in ten years. Mayor Norman has clarified she meant to indicate the cell was closing, to be replaced by opening another.

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Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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