Property taxes in Queens County are going up in an effort to cushion the blow of significant revenue losses in the region. Residential, commercial and resource properties will each face a three cent spike per hundred of assessment in their tax bills for the fiscal year 2012-13. Mayor John Leefe called it the most challenging budget since amalgamation in 1996. Leefe says the region has lost $1.2 million in revenue since Nova Scotia Power properties were reassessed over three years ago. He says a $135,000 tax break for Bowater Mersey has also contributed to a difficult year for the municipality. Council passed the tax increase and its budget at a meeting this morning. Its operating budget exceeds $17.6 million dollars while its capital budget has been set at $3.3 million. The Region also approved the second $250,000 installment of its $1-million dollar commitment to the Queens General Hospital Project.
