No tax increases for Dorchester residents, businesses in 2010

There will be no property tax increases for residents and businesses in the village of Dorchester in 2010.

At Monday's regular meeting, council voted to accept its annual budget which will see the village property tax rate remain at 1.4833 per hundred dollars of property value.

"We were fortunate to have a surplus of almost $30,000 in our 2008 budget which helped cover the cost increases for this year's budget. With the extra costs we're facing this year, without that cushion our tax rate would have increased by almost 10 cents," said Mayor Mel Goodland.

Dorchester's operational budget was set at $835,673, up just over $18,000 from 2009. The provincial government set the tax base value at $37,375,380, an increase of some $290,000 over last year. The warrant (revenue raised through property taxes) was calculated at $554,374, up just $4,000 from 2009.

Despite the continual increase in operational costs, the unconditional grant received from the provincial government remained the same at $89,824.

The cost for RCMP coverage increased from $119,733 in 2009 to $124,209 for the current year while the fire department's budget was boosted almost $11,000 this year to cover the cost of installing fire hydrant culverts and the budget for firefighting equipment was increased by $14,000 to provide for the purchase of necessary equipment.

"The fire hydrant culverts make it a lot easier for firefighters to access the fire hydrants in the village. We'll be doing all of the hydrants eventually, but this year we'll be installing culverts to those which are the hardest to access. The fire department will also be purchasing a new defibrillator and other much-needed equipment," Goodland noted.

Dorchester's contribution to the support of the Tantramar Planning District Commission was also increased from $11,827 in 2009 to $12,848 in 2010 while the village allotted about $6,000 extra this year for the ongoing refurbishments at St. Ed's Hall.

"We'll be completing the second phase, which is the downstairs area of the hall, by the end of March and looking ahead to completely the final phase, which will see the removal of paneling and installation of sheet rock later this year, which will bring the building up to the proper fire codes," Goodland said.

The annual utility budget was set at $222,858, down $10,000 over 2009, in part due to transfers from the federal government. The cost for water and sewage services for village residents remains the same as last year, $516 and $350 for residents of guard row, which is serviced by the CSC sewage system, not the village system; hence the reduction in cost for those households.