HANTSPORT, N.S. — Residents of Hants Border won’t have to dig deeper into their pockets to help cover capital expenses for the Hantsport Fire Department – at least not this year.
Although the department is located in the Municipality of West Hants, it’s coverage area includes a small portion of the County of Kings in the Hants Border vicinity.
A meeting was held for Hants Border ratepayers at the community hall on July 30 to vote on the proposed fire capital area rate. There seemed to be an element of confusion or misunderstanding among some residents that they would be asked this year to help fund capital expenses for a new fire station.
As explained by County of Kings director of finance and IT services Greg Barr, West Hants council has approved the new fire station build, but Kings County council has decided to hold off due to questions surrounding the fact that the Town of Windsor and the Municipality of West Hants are in the process of amalgamating.
However, Kings council recognizes that “there is a great need” for the new station based on a recent presentation made to them by West Hants.
Of the 32 voting ratepayers in attendance, 31 voted in favour of the reduced area rate of 2.27 cents per $100 of assessed property value while one voted against it. The vote resulted in a round of applause. Last year’s area rate was 2.58 cents. In 2017, it was 3.19 cents.
The endorsement of the ratepayers was approved by Kings County council at a special meeting the following evening.
Prior to the vote, one ratepayer said he wouldn’t vote in favour because he feels he’s being “double-dipped”, considering that a large portion of property taxes goes toward operating costs for fire and emergency services.
Barr pointed out that area rates are used throughout Kings County to raise money for the capital costs incurred by volunteer fire departments. Operating costs are covered by grants that come out of the general property tax rate.
In total, the County of Kings is paying out approximately $2.4 million in operating grants this year to the 13 departments that service the municipality. Capital costs could conceivably be handled in the same manner, but this would result in higher property tax rates.
Another ratepayer asked those in attendance to consider what could happen if they didn’t vote in favour of the area rate.
If a ratepayer has a house assessed at $150,000, the rate would cost them approximately $34. If voted down and the Hantsport Fire Department was ill equipped to respond to calls for assistance, area residents might have to depend on the next closest department for fire service - Wolfville, for example. He said that, in this scenario, homeowners insurance “is going to go up triple that much.”
“We should be looking at ‘yes’,” he said.
NEW FIRE STATION
Hants Border’s area rate is the lowest in Kings County but that could change next year if the new fire station project proceeds. Initial estimates are that the new station would cost approximately $2 million to build, and a contingency component.
Following a presentation by the Municipality of West Hants detailing the “issues, the shortcomings and safety concerns” surrounding the existing Hantsport fire station, Barr said Kings County council gave support in principle to a new station.
Barr said he would expect a different area rate proposal would come before Hants Border residents next year. Depending on the length of time the expense associated with the new station is amortized over, the area rate would be impacted accordingly. Amortizing the expense over a longer period would help keep the area rate at “a more manageable level” for residents.
West Hants chief administrative officer Martin Laycock said that, although it could change, the proposed location for the new station is the current public works compound on Chittick Avenue in Hantsport. Laycock said the Municipality of West Hants has already budgeted the debt servicing for the build.
“That’s how committed council is in recognizing the need for this facility,” Laycock said, pointing out that the money would sit in a reserve until the project can get going.
The Hantsport Fire Department is no longer able to use the kitchen at the existing fire station because it doesn’t meet code. The municipality and the fire department have done everything they can to get by with the existing station but Laycock said the building has “seen its day.”
Taking into consideration the poor state of the fire hall and a lack of space and maneuverability, Laycock described it as “an accident waiting to happen.”
“The reality is that this is a situation that needs to be addressed and addressed very soon,” he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Hantsport Fire Department’s capital requirement for 2019-2020 is $69,744. This includes principal and interest payments for a pumper truck, a fire truck chassis and breathing apparatus. The percentage portion for the Hants Border area is $21,376.54. Taking the municipality’s administration fee into account, the total payable by Hants Border residents is $22,359.86.
As Barr explained to the ratepayers, the rate calculation is based on the overall number of calls responded to by the Hantsport Fire Department over a three-year period and determining the percentage that were to the Hants Border service area. This works out to 30.6 per cent of calls. The calculation also takes into consideration the assessed value of properties within the Hants Border service area, which totals $98,359,500.
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