Hastings County Council, November 22, 2016 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quitne News)
The CAO of Hastings County says he feels their delegation at the AMO Conference was listened to, but the conversation needs to continue.
Jim Pine says the main point the group wanted to get across was the struggle that rural municipalities face when it comes to funding infrastructure.
He tells Quinte News it’s a big challenge to deal with, but hopefully the discussion will help.
He says Hastings County Council has supported one AMO solution of raising the HST by 1% which could make a big difference.
Pine adds that if the HST raise doesn’t work, the next solution would be municipalities having to raise property taxes by at least 8% per year, for the next 10 years, which isn’t possible.
He says they have to keep trying to convince the Provincial Government that it’s the right thing to do, because even though it would mean a rise in the HST, the money would be going to the right place.
