http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-289978-Annapolis-Royal-citizens-laugh-in-face-of-adversity.html

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The following is a link to the most recent article in the Chronicle Herald. At the bottom there are lots of comments, suggestions and questions that you may be interested in reading.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1099262.html

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'Cradle of Canada' to go bust?
By Richard Foot , Canwest News Service January 7, 2009 4:03 p.m. Calgary Herald

Nova Scotia Power's tidal power plant at Annapolis Royal. Mayor Phil Roberts says a 60-per-cent cut to the tax assessment for the Town's largest single source of revenue puts the 'very existence of Annapolis Royal in jeopardy.'

HALIFAX — The small, historic Town of Annapolis Royal, N.S. — one of the oldest communities in North America — is facing financial ruin thanks to a surprise, 60 per cent cut to the tax assessment of its industrial mainstay, a nearby tidal power plant.

Mayor Phil Roberts has issued a statement saying the "arbitrary" rate cut for the Town's largest single source of revenue puts the "very existence of Annapolis Royal in jeopardy."

The picturesque tourist Town of 500 people on the Bay of Fundy was the site of the Port Royal Habitation, the first permanent European settlement in Canada, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1604.

Four hundred years later, residents gathered at a public meeting this week to figure out how to preserve their Town. One person half-jokingly suggested selling the entire Town on eBay to the highest bidder.

A more likely answer, says Roberts, is that the Town will be forced to lay off most of its staff and eliminate all recreation services, marketing efforts and infrastructure projects.

Municipal leaders say they were shocked after being summoned to Halifax in December and told that the assessment on Nova Scotia Power's tidal-electric generating station in the Bay of Fundy had been chopped from $41-million — its valuation for the past seven years — to only $9-million.

A few days later, the provincial agency that assesses all properties in Nova Scotia put the final value of the station at $16-million. That still means a loss of $585,000 in annual municipal revenue, 28 per cent of Annapolis Royal's operating budget.

Provincial assessors say the cost of the station's turbines should never have been included in the plant's prior value because machinery is not factored into utility assessments. That doesn't satisfy the Town's leaders, who say electric turbines are not mere machinery, but an integral part of a power plant. They plan to fight the decision in court.

But mostly they're angry that nobody at the power company, the assessment agency, or their own Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities — which requested a province-wide reassessment of power plants in the first place — gave the Town any advance warning, before 2009 was almost upon them, that such a drastic cut was coming their way.

"Somebody somewhere in the system had to have known that this would have a serious impact on us," says Amery Boyer, the Town's chief administrative officer — and also dogcatcher — who expects to lose her municipal jobs in the fallout.

"This is a huge hit. It was clumsily handled."

A spokesman for Nova Scotia's Property Valuation Services Corporation says the agency informed the Town as soon as it finished its reassessment.

Two other Nova Scotia municipalities will also take hits to their tax base thanks to the power plant reassessment program — while other Towns will get more money — but none are in as much trouble as Annapolis Royal.

The Town includes three Parks Canada historic sites, including a reconstruction of the Port Royal Habitation, and has also won a string of international accolades, including being named the world's "most livable community" in 2004 by the United Nations.

Boyer says if a higher profile parks-and-heritage community like Banff, Alberta was in a similar state of jeopardy, Canadians would likely leap to its rescue.

"We're the cradle of Canada," she says. "Do people really want us to go into decline?"

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

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www.happyannapolitan.blogspot.com

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Taxation troubles: Royal mess in Annapolis
Published: 2009-01-07

ANNAPOLIS ROYAL is a small municipality with a giant headache. The Town will lose 28 per cent of its revenue in 2009-10 because of how the province divvies up the $34.7-million grant Nova Scotia Power Inc. pays in lieu of property taxes. The utility pays a global grant to the province in lieu of taxes to each local government. The grant, indexed to inflation, is distributed to municipal-ities through a formula that has often led to squab-bles. It is mostly shared out according to the pro-portion of NSPI assessment in each municipality, but some goes to an equalization fund to assist weaker units. To ensure the yardstick for mea-suring shares is consistent, the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities has also pressed the province to review the values of all NSP properties.

Read the full story at http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/9010076.html

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Discovery regarding the NSPI property tax imbroglio.

Great swathes of detail have been edited to keep the story relatively succinct, so some things may seem missing or overly stated.

http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-284987-Annapolis-Royal-budget-crisis-uncovers-longstanding-conflict.html

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President's Message - Warden Lloyd Hines

With December days moving right along, we are rapidly approaching the Holidays and the years' end. Where does time go? It only seems like yesterday we were at the Annual Conference. However, that was months ago and a great deal has happened since September.

I do want to welcome all new UNSM members to the Group. We have obtained your e-mail address and will forward this newsletter each month. I urge you to review it and to raise any questions with me.

The UNSM Board is pleased with two accomplishments this month. We were successful in arguing against including apartments under the assessment cap legislation. We contend that there is no way of insuring the savings realized by the landlords would be passed on to the renters. The Government supports our position and is not planning to include apartments under assessment capping legislation.

The other achievement for UNSM is the Government's commitment to begin to pay grants-in-lieu on Courthouses effective April 1, 2009. At this time, the Province will phase in the grant payment. The exact amount is unknown and will be part of the 2009/10 Provincial Budget. Having the Province pay grants-in-lieu for Courthouses was a UNSM priority. It is positive to see Government action on this file. In mid-December the UNSM and Association of Municipal Administrators, NS will jointly hose a Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Elected Official Symposium.

The day-and-a-half long event will be held in Truro and will be facilitated by Mr. Gordon McIntosh. These sessions will allow the Mayors and Wardens to discuss areas of common concern and to learn from on another. I look forward to this Event.

Nova Scotia Power assets have been re-assessed across the Province. This re-evaluation was requested by UNSM when five years ago it was agreed that property values would be used to determine the distribution of the NSPI grant to municipalities. The re-evaluation has been completed and there are some major changes in valuations. Minister Muir has advised that he wishes to consult with UNSM before next year's payments are finalized. I am pleased we will have the opportunity to discuss an implementation strategy on this very important issue.

Until next month. Enjoy the Holidays!

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ANNAPOLIS ROYAL TO FIGHT FUNDING CUT, MEET MINISTER
December 12, 2008

Annapolis Royal, Friday, December 12: The Town of Annapolis Royal will lose approximately $580,000 in provincial operating revenue in 2009, a move caused by the reallocation of tax monies flowing from the Tidal Power Plant in Annapolis Royal.

The news of this surprise funding cut was announced to Town officials at a meeting December 5th at the Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations in Halifax.

“It seems that in 2005, the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM) requested a review of the assessment of all Nova Scotia Power Inc. properties, of which the Annapolis Basin Tidal Power Plant is one,” said Annapolis Royal Mayor Phil Roberts. “Our funding was based on an assessment of $41 million; now the Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC) has decided that the Tidal Power Plant is only worth $16 million. This means that our Town will immediately lose approximately 62 per cent of our grant in lieu of taxes. It is completely unacceptable.”

The $16 million evaluation figure is actually $7 million higher than the evaluation given to the Town at the meeting on December 5th. That increase, announced by PVSC on December 9th, has not changed the view of Mayor Roberts.

“We are going to fight this cut. We have a meeting with the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations early in January”, said the Mayor. “We are sure it is not the intention of the minister to destroy Canada's oldest Town, but this funding cut will effectively put the very existence of Annapolis Royal in jeopardy and we simply cannot allow that to happen.”

In the meantime, the Town has asked the Minister for the services of a consultant to review its options. Concerned citizens are invited to call the Mayor or Town CAO Amery Boyer with their questions and comments. A public forum will be held shortly so that citizens of the Town, and those who benefit from its services, will be able to learn the facts and voice their opinion to government.

Please read the fact sheet below

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ANNAPOLIS ROYAL FUNDING CUT - MEDIA FACT SHEET

What just happened to Annapolis Royal?
Annapolis Royal Mayor Phil Roberts and others attend a meeting in Halifax on December 5th at the invitation of the Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

The delegation is informed that, as a result of a review of the assessment of all NSPI properties requested by the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM) and undertaken by the Property Valuation Services Corporation (PVSC), the assessment value of the Tidal Power Plant in Annapolis Royal will be reduced from $41 million to $9 million, thereby effectively cutting the Town's “grant in lieu of taxes” by 78 per cent, or $735,000.

On Monday, December 8th, Annapolis Royal Mayor Phil Roberts issues a news release outlining the results of the meeting, which is picked up by media in the province.

On Tuesday, December 9th, the Town is informed by the PVSC that the $9 million assessment has been revised upwards to $16 million, thanks to additional information provided by NSPI. This means the funding cut to the Town will be approximately $580,000, a reduction of 62 per cent.

Where does the “grant in lieu of tax” money come from?
NSPI remits one “pot” of money to the Province and it is the Province that decides how it is to be allocated. The money that would have flowed to Annapolis Royal in 2009 will now flow to other NSPI host communities in Nova Scotia, most notably in Guysborough and Cape Breton.

What other communities are affected?
The District of Queens will lose $1.6 million and the Town of Trenton would also lose revenue, but Annapolis Royal is the most severely affected.

What has Annapolis Royal done with the money it has received from NSPI in the past?
The Town has used the money largely for state-of-the-art infrastructure projects such as its tertiary wastewater system, and one of the best solid waste diversion programs in Canada. Thanks to the support of NSPI, the Town has achieved Milestone 1 of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Partners for Climate Change program. It has been able to improve the lives of its citizens through projects involving water, sewer, recreation and marketing initiatives aimed at growing our struggling tourism industry, employment, and revenues for our area businesses and attractions.

What is the Town doing now?
The Town has arranged to meet with the Honourable Jamie Muir, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Affairs, in early January 2009. In the meantime, it is exploring its options and planning a public forum to bring its citizens up to date. Mayor Phil Roberts and Chief Administrative Officer Amery Boyer invite any comments and suggestions from citizens.

What are the risks for the Town if this funding is not retained?
If the funding is not retained, Canada's first Town, the cradle of our country founded in 1605, could lose its Town status and cease to exist. The place voted in 2004 as the “The Most Liveable Small Town in the World” would be no more…in two years we would be finished.

For more information, please contact:

Mayor Phil Roberts
(902) 532-7778 T
(902) 532-7443 F
mayor@annapolisroyal.com

CAO Amery Boyer
(902) 532-3146
cao@annapolisroyal.com

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DIGBY REPORT VALUES ANNUAL FERRY SERVICE AT $40M
September 19, 2007

The current Bay of Fundy ferry service between Digby, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick is vital and essential to the economic infrastructure of southwest Nova Scotia, declares a report recently commissioned by a regional committee.

In its most compelling finding the Report estimates that the ferry service's economic value to the area of southwest Nova Scotia to be in the order of $40m. annually

The economic impact study was commissioned by the Bay of Fundy Transportation Coalition, a committee comprised of representatives from local government and business.

The report was prepared for the Coalition by The Mariport Group Ltd.

Warden Jim Thurber of the Municipality of the District of Digby, and Chair of the Coalition, emphasized the Report's findings as to the crucial nature a continuing ferry service played in developing and maintaining the region's economic delivery infrastructure.

“We're working on an aggressive new economic development strategy for our communities, aided by a new Regional Development Agency, “Thurber explained,” And the Report strongly underlines the inescapable fact that a dependable, convenient and affordable transportation infrastructure is absolutely vital to the success of our regional economic infrastructure strategy”.

“With the ferry service southwest Nova Scotia has the capacity and opportunity to attract badly needed new business – without it its moot as to whether new companies would even consider us, and whether existing ones would stay,' Thurber said.

The Warden described the current situation as “a ticking time bomb, with commercial and tourism opportunities already having been lost due to the uncertainty”.

The Digby to Saint John Ferry Impact Study particularly pointed to the contribution of the ferry service to the regional fishery and tourism industries, in addition to the future of the Fundy region's economic infrastructure.

According to the Report, the product value of regional fresh fishery exports in 2006 was at least $400 m., of which 60% is estimated to have moved via the ferry.

“This service is essential in maintaining our ability to serve that ‘just-in-time fresh seafood market,” said committee member and fisheries spokesperson Denny Morrow, “and without the service we just couldn't guarantee delivery within 24 hours of the catch being landed”.

Equally adamant about the fundamental value of the current service were representatives of the regional tourism sector, who claimed that without it they would be effectively shut out of changing travel markets that emphasize shorter vacations.

“The emerging travel paradigm, particularly in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., is for quick and easy access to the holiday destination - and the current ferry service aids greatly in positioning our region to capture that market”, said Hal Theriault, Chair of the Digby Area Tourism Association (DATA).

Theriault also announced that DATA was also in the process of a major marketing and branding exercise for the area, with significant growth goals and that the role the ferry service played was essential in securing those objectives, as well as maintaining traditional business such as motor coach tours.

Both Morrow and Theriault said that fear and apprehension concerning the future of the service was already having a negative effect on their respective markets.

The Warden and the other members of the Coalition said that they appreciated the work that both provincial and federal government representatives were doing to support the continuation of the service.

“We've been particularly pleased with the continuing cooperation and support shown by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Ministry of Transportation, as well as the provincial Office of Economic Development “, said Warden Thurber, “They've been positive and approachable all through this process and we look forward to adding the knowledge we've gleaned from this Report to our ongoing deliberations.”

The Coalition's Report is available by checking in at the web site http://www.mariport.com/papers.html

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HISTORIC Town DESIGNATES ITS FIRST HERITAGE TREE
July 26, 2007

Today, the Town of Annapolis Royal is pleased to announce the designation of its first heritage tree. The tree, a majestic elm tree, belongs to Blaine Schumacher and Heidi Richells of Annapolis Royal. It was planted by Dr. and Mrs. Layton when they purchased the home in the spring of 1943 to commemorate the birth of their two daughters, Margaret Ann and Helen Ruth Layton. The tree is a significant part of the canopy on St George Street. “We believe this tree warrants protecting as a tree of historical significance as well as a healthy specimen of a species of trees apparently doomed to extinction due to the effects of Dutch Elm Disease”, said Mr. Schumacher. A historical celebration is planned for 7:00 p.m. in Annapolis Royal.

The Town is pleased to acknowledge the work of the Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance who developed the definition of a heritage tree and the format and procedures for evaluating and designating heritage trees which were used in this case.

Please visit the list of Heritage Trees

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ANNAPOLIS ROYAL AND ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND TWIN

Download the resolution here.

Visit the official Annapolis Maryland website:
http://www.ci.annapolis.md.us/

On June 13, 2007, two members of Annapolis Royal Town Council, Councillors Phil Roberts and Ron Boulding, the Town Crier and his escort, Peter and Val Davies, and members of the Musique 400 troupe are heading to Annapolis, Maryland for the Kinships and Windships weekend. This event is a predecessor to the celebrations being planned for 2008 that will see over 4 million people visiting Annapolis, Maryland for that City's 300th anniversary. The Bluenose 11 will arrive at 9:00 a.m. on June 14, and it is expected that the Speaker of the Nova Scotia Legislature, the Honourable Cecil Clark, as well as members of the Annapolis Royal and Annapolis County delegation

Musique 400 is a group of costumed, strolling minstrels that plays music and performs dances from the 1600's when Sieur de Mons and Samuel Champlain arrived and founded Port Royal.

While there, the group will tour the US Naval Academy, State House and Paca Garden. They will also attend a reception at the National Sailing Hall of Fame with local performers and various VIPs, hosted by Mayor Ellen Moyer. On June 15, they will take the Discover Annapolis Trolley Tour and learn more about an anniversary tapestry project patterned off the tapestry on display at Fort Anne. Later that evening, the group will participate in an informal evening of music at the Castlebay Irish Pub. The final scheduled event will involve seeing off the Bluenose at 9:00 a.m. on June 16, 2007.

The group will be representing the province, the County of Annapolis and the Town of Annapolis Royal at this event. This project was made possible through a contribution from the Province of Nova Scotia, the services of Trans World Tours & Travel, and an in kind contribution from Musique 400. The group also wishes to acknowledge the strong efforts of our sister City, Annapolis, Maryland, and especially the Special Assistant to the State Fire Marshal for the invitation and all of the logistics support.