How your municipal

tax dollars are spent

a report to the citizens of Halifax Regional Municipality

What you get for your municipal tax dollar

HRM is responsible for delivering programs and services to its taxpayers. For example: police, fire and emergency services to protect you; the roads you drive on; sidewalks you walk on; parks you play in; a world class recycling, composting and waste collection program; library services; street lights; recreation and community programs.

The following monthly estimates are based on the taxes levied on a typical home at the urban tax rate (based on HRM’s 2008-2009 approved budget).

For a quick reference, here are a list of the following services:

Police

Fire & Emergency

Transit Services

Roads

Parks & Open Spaces

Libraries

Recycling, Composting & Refuse

Stormwater & Wastewater

Recreation & Culture

Community Development

Governance & Administration

HRM Partners in Policing

Halifax Regional Police and RCMP will continue to implement police and community response programs, execute directed enforcement, and oversee specialized projects and task forces to reduce crime.

When surveyed in 2008, 85% of citizens in HRM indicated they are completely/mostly satisfied with the peace and order in their local community and 82% are completely/mostly satisfied with the quality of policing provided.

What you get:

A typical household pays $28.29 per month

Fire & Emergency

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency is dedicated to enhancing and preserving the quality of life, property and environment through education, leadership and effective response to emergencies. This service is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week through 60 stations staffed by career and volunteer firefighters. Fire crews responded to 11,820 emergency responses in 2008.

Ninety-four per cent of citizens are completely and mostly satisfied with the quality of service provided by Fire & Emergency.

What you get:

• 479 staff members (478 uniformed & 25 civilian) and 650 Volunteers
• 60 Fire Stations
• Search and Rescue: vehicle, water/ice, structural/confined space, high angle
• Emergency Measures Office (EMO)
• Hazardous Materials Response
• Inspections and Investigations
• Public Education and Public Information:
  731 Public Education presentations conducted
  109 public & 12 private schools participated in Fire Prevention Week activities
• 3,512 Occupancy Inspections
• 500 Fire Safety plans reviewed
• 153 front line apparatus (engines, pumpers, aerials, rescues & tactical support)
• 145 support vehicles (utilities/ cars/ vans, trailers, boats, tractors, ATV's, antiques)

A typical household pays $16.58 per month

Transit services

Metro Transit is there wherever life takes you. Providing regular transit, ferry, MetroLink, and accessible public transportation services, Metro Transit is supported by administrative and maintenance staff.

What you get:

• 18.5 million transit passengers annually
• 53 fixed transit routes, 2 community transit routes and 2 ferry routes
• Service 365 days a year
• 13 park & ride locations with over 1,340 parking spaces
• Over 270 operators, ferry crew and staff 259 buses, which includes 165 low floor buses (20 of which are MetroLink), and 3 ferries
• MetroLink service: #159 Portland Hills, #165 Woodside and #185 Sackville Links
• UPass program for university students
• 24 Access-A-Buses serving 16,827 passengers per month, providing a shared ride, door-to-door public transit system for persons who are unable to use conventional (non low floor) transit system, due to a physical or cognitive disability
• 2,500 bus stop signs replaced with newly branded signs in conjunction with the new GoTime system
• 87,000 passengers per average weekday travel on conventional transit buses
• 4,000 ferry passengers per average weekday
• 16,000 Access-a-Bus passengers per month
• Over 400 bus shelters
• Over 2,500 stops

A typical household pays $11.81 per month

Roads

The challenges to keep up with our aging infrastructure are substantial. In 2008, HRM spent $20 million on full reconstructions, resurfacing, micro-surface seal and thin overlays to extend the life of a total of over 94 kms of existing streets. $2.7 was dedicated to new paving of 10.5 kms of previously unpaved streets. Additionally, HRM spent $2.4 million to upgrade existing sidewalks, and $2.7 million to construct new sidewalks.

What you get:

• 1,740 km of roads, 1925 km of curbs, 800 km of sidewalks 60 km of gravel roads and 75 bridges maintained
• 255 traffic signals (with the addition of 3 on average per year)
• 80 signalized intersections fully installed with LED lights
• Over 14,000 traffic and street name signs produced and 2,000 sign posts installed
• More than 40,000 street lights maintained (13,000 of which are owned by HRM)
• In excess of 1,735 km white and yellow traffic markings.
• 72,750 metres of stop bars & crosswalks, 4,400 arrows painted
• 10 street sweepers; 5 sidewalk sweepers, 2 graffiti trucks, 80 snow and ice control vehicles
• 150 to 200 streets/ roads/ sidewalks upgraded each year
• 9.6 km of full street reconstruction projects and 22.5 km of street resurfacing projects completed
• 61 km of street asphalt surface seal or thin overlay projects completed
• Upgraded f7.4 km of existing sidewalks

A typical household pays $14.25 per month

Parks & open spaces

HRM owns, operates, maintains and recapitalizes physical assets like the parks and public spaces you enjoy. It also acquires and disposes of real property for municipal purposes including HRM’s business parks.

What you get:

• 1385 individual parks, making up 8182 hectares of land
• 6 major parks and Public Gardens:  Regarded as the finest example of Victorian Public Gardens in North America
• 650 designated park properties (largest park 4,200 acres; smallest park 2,800 sq ft.)
• Over 1,630 open space properties
• 220 km of maintained walking trails
• 250,000 bedding plants grown and used throughout the park system each year.
• 398 playgrounds, 209 ball fields, 116 sport fields, 237 sports courts, 12 skateboard parks; 5 bike parks, 4 lawn bowling greens, 1 campground
• Westmount inclusive Playground Park (1st of its kind in Canada
• 2 outdoor pools, 4 spray pools

A typical household pays $3.65 per month

Libraries

What you get:

• 1,097,823 items including books, CDs, DVDs, videos, newspapers and magazines with a circulation of 4,802,873 items in 2008. This level of circulation equates to 13 items per capita, above the national average of 11.3 items per capita.
• Downloadable audio books available 24/7 via the Libraries website.  Online catalogue allows search of the Library's extensive collection, place items on hold and check accounts from anywhere with internet access.
• Programming delivered largely in partnership with some 300 community groups.  4,407 programs were offered in 2008 for children, teenagers and adults
• Nearly 300 public access computers, 4 permanent learning labs and 4 portable learning labs with 502,617 bookings made
• Computer reservation system via automated phone system or on-line
• Wireless internet access at all branches
• Home Delivery, Books by Mail service for those unable to visit the Library
• Mobile Library that brings library service to communities not within the service area of a branch
• Interlibrary Loan service that enable borrowing rom other lending libraries in Nova Scotia and across Canada
• Literacy and English as a Second Language tutoring
• Local History & Genalogy resources
• Meeting rooms available for public use at most branches
• Life long learning support including readers' services, IT learning skills and staff assistance in seeking information
  

A typical household pays $4.97 per month

Recycling, Composting & Refuse

Residents of HRM enjoy the benefits of a world-class integrated solid waste/ resource management system.

• Collection of recyclables, organics and refuse at 132,000 eligible properties
• Contract management for the operation and maintenance of solid waste processing facilities
• 1 mixed waste processing & disposal facility at Otter Lake
• 1 Materials Recovery Facility
• 2 Compost Plants (New Era Technologies, Miller Composting)
• 1 Household Hazardous Waste Depot
• 2 waste transfer depots
• Production and sale of electricity recovered from landfill gas
• Average annual solid waste tonnage (approx): 22,000 recyclables, 49,000 organics, 152,000 refuse, 88,000 construction and demolition material & 1 tonnes of household hazardous waste diverted, 2,500 metal recovered and CFCs/ODS captured from 3,800 appliances
• 1,050 commercial property inspections conducted
• Presentations to 16,000 students, teachers, and workers/ tenants in businesses & apartment properties
• 59 % diversion achieved
  

A typical household pays $9.61 per month

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater

Halifax Water is the municipally owned water, wastewater and stormwater utility responsible for service within the urban and suburban core of Halifax Regional Municipality. As of August 1, 2007, the stormwater and wastewater assets of HRM were transferred to Halifax Water.

The only wastewater infrastructure not yet transferred to Halifax Water is that related to the sewage collection system and wastewater treatment plants under the Harbour Solutions Project. The Halifax Harbour Solutions Project is a $333 million multi-year project has developed three new advanced-primary wastewater treatment facilities, new sewage collection system infrastructure and a Biosolids Processing Facility.

Halifax Water is regulated by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) under the Public Utilities Act. NSUARB approves the rates, charges, rules and regulations for governing the utility.

Wastewater services include:

• 15 wastewater treatment facilities treating a total of 83 billion litres of wastewater annually
• 1,007 kilometres of gravity sanitary sewers, 1.1 km tunnel
• 700 kilometres of storm and clearwater sewers, 300 kilometres of combined sewers
• 69 kilometres of force main and pressure sewers
• 171 pumping stations, 6 wastewater holding tanks and 30 stormwater retention facilities
• 4 sanitary sewer holding tanks, 18 combined storm overflow (CSO) chambers
• 37,000 manholes, 17,000 catchbasins and 600 kilometeres of ditches
• 1 leachate treatment facility
• 1 biosolids facility which processes 36,000 wet tonnes of dewatered biosolids annually - originating from the 15 wastewater treatment facilities and residential on-site systems

Water Services include:

• 48 million cubic metres of potable water treated annually
• 10 water supply plants, 20 pumping stations 1,300 kilometres of pipe
• 107 pressure or control chambers and 17 reservoirs
• 13,000 valves, 7,300 hydrants and 79,000 water meters

A typical household pays $20.59 per month for  water, $23.38 per month for sewer/stormwater

Based on an average household consumption of 20,000 litres per month. Applies to water/sewer users only and is collected on water bill, not through Property Tax bill.

Recreation & Culture

Community Recreation Services provides accessible and affordable community recreation programs through a number of means ranging from direct provision to various partnerships with community associations. HRM owns over 60 recreation facilities. Recreation programs are offered at all facilities, more than half of these recreation facilities are operated by volunteer Community Boards with community development assistance. The remaining facilities are staffed and programmed directly by HRM staff.

What you get:

• 46 community centres. 3 large events facilities and 10 sports facilities
• 5 larger multi-district, multi-use sports complex facilities (includes the new Mainland Common Centre)
• Community grant program funding for 14 heritage organizations
• Collection of 40,000 social heritage artifacts
• Support to 3 community museums
• 4 immigrant welcoming events and Canadian Citizenship ceremonies
• Facilitation of National heritage designation process (IE Starr Manufacturing)
• 4 HRM owned arenas
• 140 Halifax Regional School Board facilities
• 30,000+ park and sport field users
• Employ approximately 600 youth and train over 700 youth volunteers annually
• 8,383 recreation courses, offered at 160 location totaling 80,182 program hours
• 166,693 citizens registered in recreation database (45% of HRM residents)
• 900 children and youth received program financial support through HRM Kids
• 300+ area youth initiatives in progress
  
  

A typical household pays $4.94 per month

Community Development

Community Development creates and implements policies, regulations and programs which are fundamental to building strong and vibrant communities through planning the region’s settlement patterns; maintaining/ establishing community character; constructing safe and accessible buildings and infrastructure; providing community and public art programs; heritage programs and coordinates civic events.

What you get:

• 99 discretionary planning applications received and processed
• 4,125 permits issued for a total construction value of over $627 million
• 23,806 construction compliance inspections completed
• Front line staff responded to over 13,100 individual development related inquiries
• 862 land use compliance investigations processed
• Maintenance and update of HRM Regional Plan and Subdivision bylaw, 18 Municipal Planning Strategies and Land Use bylaws and a number of other development related legislation
• Provided support to 45 film projects in HRM
• 4 special event plazas, 95 festivals and events
• 5 Community Art Mural Projects, 2 outdoor art galleries (Bedford Row/Dartmouth Waterfront)
• Over 200 initiatives – with a total of 4,500 people in attendance
• Over 450 consultations (both internal and external)
• 2 commissioned permanent art pieces, and 4 commissioned temporary art pieces

A typical household pays $3.69 per month

Halifax Regional Council consists of 24 elected officials who are the main governing and legislative body for HRM. Governance and Administration also includes the Business Units who support the delivery of municipal services through External Relations and Corporate Affairs, the CAO’s Office; front line customer service; and executive and administrative support.

What you get:

• One mayor, elected at large in HRM
• 23 Councillors, one per District, each representing an average of 15,000 residents
• Access to municipal services through the Call Centre, website, and Customer Service Centres
• Counselling of over 100,000 visitors annually through Visitor Information Centres
• Access to historical HRM municipal and community records through the Municipal Archives
• Legislative and record keeping services to Regional and Community Council, Committees of Council, the public and staff; and facilitation of public participation in the legislative process
• Communication with and information to citizens

A typical household pays $4.39 per month

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