By Mark Squibb
Ferryland council has approved the 2025 budget and tax structure and will hold the residential and business taxes steady at 6.9 and 10.9 mils respectively.
And although council has not raised any taxes and has committed to holding the mil rate steady, Ferryland Mayor Aidan Costello advised that residents will see some increases to their tax bills owning to a $25 increase for garbage collection courtesy of the Eastern Regional Service Board (ERSB) and rising property value assessments.
“We’re happy to say that council has not directly increased our taxes,” said Costello. “Indirectly, you’ll see some increases. But we’re happy to say we managed our budget and we’re looking forward to another good year.”
Costello said the budget, approved this November, has been balanced at just over $600,000, down about $60,00 — a decrease of about eight percent from last year.
Costello called it a “trim and slim” budget, adding that staff have found cost-saving measures at the water treatment plant, and repaired a handful of leaks over the last couple of years.
“We were losing a lot of water through those leaks, so we fixed those, and that has helped us cut back on water expenses extensively,” said Costello.
The mayor said line items such as fire protection services, snow clearing, road maintenance, and water and sewer remains the Town’s big-ticket items.
Roughly half of council’s overall revenue is generated through taxes.
