2023/24 Municipal Budget
On April 25, 2023, Regional Council approved the 2023/24 municipal budget of $1.2 billion – including an operating budget of $979.6 million (total municipal expenditures) and provincial mandatory contributions of $192.2 million – as well as a capital plan of $333.3 million.
The average residential tax bill is increasing by 5.9 per cent. The average single-family home tax bill will increase by $128 in 2023/24 to a total of $2,288. Due to the increase in property values, the municipal residential tax rate will decrease from 0.794 to 0.760.
The annual municipal budget funds all costs associated with servicing a growing municipality. This includes day-to-day municipal operations (for example, transit, police, fire, garbage collection, snow clearing, staffing costs), capital priority initiatives approved by Regional Council (for example, HalifACT, Cogswell District project, Integrated Mobility Plan), as well as capital projects and investments to purchase, construct, rehabilitate and replace municipal assets such as buildings, roads, active transportation, parks and bridges.
Learn more about the key programs and capital projects included in the 2023/24 municipal budget, click here.
2023/24 Budget and Business Plan
See the finalized 2023/24 Budget and Business Plan, which was ratified and approval on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
2023/24 Capital Plan
See the finalized 2023/24 Capital Plan, which was ratified and approval on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
2023/24 Budget Business Planning and Budget Process
The Strategic Multi-Year Business Planning and Budget Process and 2023/24 Budget Outlook, presented on October 25, 2022, marked the start of the 2023/24 Budget and Business Planning process. This report provided a high-level overview of the background, changes and updates, proposed key dates and milestones, financial challenges and budget implications.
On November 8, 2022, Regional Council approved the revised 2023-24 Budget & Business Planning Schedule as outlined in Option 1 of the Strategic Multi-Year Business Planning and Budget Process and 2023/24 Budget Outlook.
The 2023/24 Strategic Priorities Plan – Council Priorities and Strategic Performance Report was presented on Tuesday, November 22, 2022. See the Strategic Performance Report 2022/21.
The 2023/24 Budget Direction report was presented to Budget Committee on Friday, November 25, 2022. There were two separate motions passed, as follows:
MOTION 1:
THAT Budget Committee:
- Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to develop the 2023/24 Budget according to Council's approved priorities, and preliminary fiscal direction, including setting the average property tax bill for residential and commercial properties at an 4.0 percent increase by preparing proposals for reductions to the operating budget and only use onetime expense to offset costs in the current fiscal year if matched with an operating budget reduction in subsequent years.
- Recommend that Regional Council rescind the direction from the 2022-23 fiscal budget to include $7 million in the 2023/24 budget to fund a sidewalk program from capital from operating; and
- Further recommend that Halifax Regional Council:
- Reallocate $20 million included in the Strategic Initiative Operating Reserve (Q667) in 2019 as a potential capital contribution for the construction of a Community Stadium, to the following reserves:
- Transfer $5 million to the Options Reserve (Q421) for the Solid Waste Facility capital project (CW190003);
- Transfer $15 million to the Capital Fund Reserve (Q521) to fund over-commitments within the capital fund reserve; and
- Approve revised debt policy of $1,500 per dwellings and amend capital-from-operating to be $64.922 million, by reducing $8 million from street recapitalization, for the 2023/24 budget.
MOTION 2:
THAT Budget Committee direct the Chief Administrative Office to request a staff report to include $3 million in the 2023/24 budget to fund a sidewalk program from debt.
Recommendations 2 and 3 of the first motion passed are targeting ratification at Regional Council on December 13, 2022.
Other resources
View frequently asked budget-related questions here.
Review past budgets and business plans.
See a full list of strategic initiatives aligned with Regional Council and administrative priorities and outcomes.
Learn more about the Strategic Priorities Plan 2021-25.
