Mayor Peter Kelly announced today that he will not be seeking re-election this October.

"I feel that, after 27 years of public service, I have made my contribution to the good of the community to the very best of my ability and it is time to seek new horizons," he said.

Mayor Kelly said that he intends to complete his term.

It has been a great privilege to be mayor of HRM and I will carry with me forever the spirit of goodwill that citizens have always shown me. They have been my constant guide and inspiration. The residents were always the best part of this job and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their advice, their support and also for their forgiveness when I have made mistakes, and I have made my fair share!.

Mayor Kelly, 55, said he made his decision not to reoffer on Tuesday, after taking some personal time to reflect and to consult with his family. "Being mayor has come with a cost," he said. "Working more than 90 hours a week has taken its toll. My marriage has ended and it has been a strain on my family. I have always put the well being of the municipality first but now it is time to give my family priority. I know that everyone will understand and respect my decision."

Mayor Kelly said it would not be easy to walk away after so many years in office but that he felt it was time to move on.

"I have always had the best interests of the community at heart and have been committed to making HRM the best place in Canada to live, work, learn and play."

Mayor Kelly acknowledged that there had been stumbles along the way, not least being the issue of his duties as executor to the estate of his late friend, Mary Thibeault.

"I am not making any excuses. Whatever problems have arisen have been because of my own tardiness and I am in the process of fulfilling her instructions,” he said. “Everything is accounted for and will be distributed according to her wishes."

Contact: Mayor Peter Kelly

Taming the Tax Bill

Everyone hates paying taxes. You do, I do; everyone does!

Taxes aren’t popular,(to put it mildly), especially when we examine our pay slip; or the receipt for a purchase; or our municipal tax bill - and it’s the latter that I’d like to focus on today.

Next week,Council and I will examine various options for HRM’s 2012 budget and will give staff directions as to how we wish to proceed. As I have been saying publicly for the last few weeks, there’s no reason why we cannot achieve a lower tax rateof at least 4% to offset this year’s provincial cap of $3.9%.

The fact remain shaving to pay municipal taxes isn’t popular and I understand that, especially since there is only one taxpayer supporting three levels of government. What I also understand, as do most residents,are the financial realities of living in a growing community, namely that services must be funded.

HRM depends on property taxes for the lion’s share of its revenue. Adding to our challenge is the fact that we are legally obliged to share this tax revenue with the province. Let me give you an example: a typical annual HRM property bill is $2,375 but about $780 of it goes straight to the province - without any discussion or input whatsoever - for education, public housing, corrections, assessment services and school board supplementary educational funding.

Meanwhile, the provincial and federal governments have access to many more income sources than we do, including personal and corporate income taxes, sales taxes, lottery proceeds, etc., etc.

Unfortunately, here’s how it works. In terms of the annual total tax bill paid by the average HRM resident - property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, etc. - our municipality’s share is 8%; next comes the federal government with 45.3%, followed by the province with 46.3%. In other words, for each and every tax dollar that you contribute to government,we receive only 8 cents.

While it’s true thatHRMreceives income from transit fares; deed-transfer taxes; parking; licenses and permits; recreation fees; and parking meter revenues, these don’t come close to keeping our municipality operating.

Let me share with you how your property tax dollars are being spent by listing what it costs a typical HRM household for the services it receives:

• Protection by HR Police and the RCMP, ($32.80 per month); fire and emergency protection, ($22.64); transit, ($19.65); streets and roads, ($15.12); parks and open spaces, ($5.52); libraries, ($5.73); recycling, composting and refuse, ($10.42).
• The total comes to about $111 a month. Even though everyone hates paying property taxes, at least you know now what you are getting for them.
• To learn more about how where your HRM tax dollar goes, I encourage you to visit http://www.halifax.ca/revenue/Documents/Howyourtaxdollarsarespent.pdf.
• In the meantime, be assured that Council and I will be examining the 2012 budget closely for any and all savings.

I welcome your feedback on this or any other topic relating to our community. You can contact me at kellyp@halifax.ca or www.peterkelly.ca or by phoning 490-4010.

Commuter Rail for HRM

As a strong supporter of commuter rail for HRM, I am pleased to report that Council has authorized staff to update the feasibility analysis of this kind of transportation system. I have been promoting commuter rail for more than two decades. In 1991, I initiated a meeting to discuss the issue with municipal leaders from Truro, Kentville and various centres in between. I came away convinced that it was in our future as a viable mode of transportation and nothing I have learned since has changed my mind. In fact, my support for commuter rail has taken me twice to Moncton to visit the company that refurbishes Budd railcars that could be used in HRM.

My enthusiasm, however, is tempered with reality; it’s not at any cost. I have a responsibility to taxpayers and would never be prepared to sign a blank cheque. What it comes down to, is doing our due diligence; there have been several studies done already but much of our information needs updating. How much will the infrastructure cost? How much will rolling stock cost? What about HRM’s population density; how much has it shifted since the last study? What effect will Metro Transit’s express bus services, MetroLink and MetroX, have on potential train ridership? And what about the condition/availability of CN’s rails, signals and other infrastructure? Our last discussions with CN were encouraging but happened some years ago so we need to talk again.

In my opinion, a rail service during morning and afternoon rush hours will relieve traffic congestion, especially along the Sackville/Bedford/Halifax corridor and on the Burnside commute. Trips will be safer, just as fast and much less stressful for commuters who can read or socialize while someone else does the driving. As well, with hundreds of vehicles off the road, just think of the benefits to our environment.

Then there’s the financial return. We need to rethink spending hundreds of millions of dollars building or widening roads to handle growth. Whenever we build a new traffic artery, there is no financial return; quite the opposite – roads cost millions in repairs and maintenances. Yet if we were to spend, hypothetically, $10 million on a commuter rail system, studies to date suggest a 30-40% return.

With all this in mind, I’ve always believed that two commuter-rail routes should be considered: one would start at Beaver Bank and run through Windsor Junction, Sackville, Bedford and west-end Halifax to the Via Rail station. The second would run from Beaver Bank and Windsor Junction then through Burnside to provide access to ferries in downtown Dartmouth and Woodside. Both these routes could link with bus and ferry services so, instead of competing with our existing transit system, they’d complement it.

In my opinion, commuter rail is a mode of transportation whose time will come. I welcome your feedback on this or any other topic relating to our community. You can contact me at kellyp@halifax.ca or www.peterkelly.ca or by phoning 490-4010.

History of Mayor Peter Kelly

Mayor Peter Kelly began his career in public service in 1985 when he was elected Councillor for the Town of Bedford, Nova Scotia. In 1991 he was elected Mayor of Bedford, then in 1995 as Councillor for District 21-Bedford in the newly amalgamated Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). He was elected Mayor of HRM in 2000, 2004 and again in 2008.

Active in community service for many years, Mayor Kelly has served on various non-profit groups and municipal government boards, commissions and committees. His education includes a Diploma in Hospitality Management from the Nova Scotia Community College and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary's University. Apart from public office..