Meetings over community sidewalks in suburban areas of Halifax continue

Meeting on sidewalks held in Upper Tantallon Upper Tantallon, N.S., residents shared their thoughts Tuesday night on a proposed tax hike to fund sidewalks in the community.

Residents of Upper Tantallon, N.S., shared their thoughts on a proposed tax hike to fund the construction of sidewalks in the community during a series of meetings on Tuesday.

Musquodoboit Harbour, Porters Lake, Hubbards and Lucasville are also among the areas identified for the sidewalk program, which is part of Halifax Regional Municipality’s Active Transportation plan.

“One of the main elements of the program is to hear from community members and to take that information back to council and to look for some direction,” said David MacIsaac, the program’s manager.

Two meetings were held in Upper Tantallon Tuesday, and MacIsaac says he heard support for the sidewalks in general.

“But definitely a lot of concern from people about additional taxes. We hear a lot now from people just about all the extra costs they’re experiencing and definitely some concern about that part of it,” he said.

Under the proposal, the area rate tax would increase by $33 per $100,000 assessed property value.

For most, it would likely work out to a little more than $100 year, but in perpetuity.

“I do get where some of the people are coming from, that they’ll never use it, so why pay it? I get it,” said one man who spoke during Tuesday night’s meeting. “But I just think if we’re going to do it, it should be done with a little bit of thought.”

Similar meetings on the issue in Porters Lake in late January were standing room only, with the majority of residents voicing opposition to the idea.

A final report on the project is expected this spring.

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