Council rejects referendum on new rules for tax increase

On Tuesday, the County Council voted 6-5 to reject changes to the County Charter regarding budget adoption and property tax increases. Had it passed, the proposal would have appeared as a referendum on the November general election ballot.

Given the increased size of the now 11-member Council, the Charter Commission had proposed requiring only a two-thirds majority of the Council to approve provincial budgets and property tax collections.

However, the majority of the Council decided to retain the unanimous vote of all Council members as a requirement for these fiscal considerations. This section of the Charter has undergone several amendments over the years, often driven by the size of the county council. The current provision requiring a unanimous vote was added to the Charter in 2008.