Paving Petitions

Paving petitions are initiated when:

1. a request is received from at least two owners of property on the unpaved road; or
2. a motion from Council directs staff to carry out a petition.

To initiate a petition please email planning@easthants.ca with the following details:

• Name and location of the unpaved road
• Desired method(s) of charge
• Sketch of the proposed charge area where possible

Once initiated, Staff send each affected property owner a petition package including a notification letter, a table of charges for each property, and a ballot with a return envelope.

A paving petition is determined to be successful if it receives a two-thirds majority approval in favour of paving, where the “majority approval” varies based on the chosen method of charge (see Section 9.7.1 of Bylaw F-100). Note: property owners who do not vote are deemed to have voted not in favour of paving.

If a petition fails, Council shall not carry out the paving, nor initiate another petition for a minimum of three years; however, property owners may initiate a new petition at any time.

All properties that front on the road to be paved are levied a local improvement charge, regardless of how the property owner voted. This charge can be paid in one lump sum, or in equal installments over ten years added to the property owner’s tax bill, and is subject to interest.

The Municipality may make a contribution of 10% of the cost to pave municipally owned roads at Council’s discretion. The Nova Scotia Department of Public Works may contribute up to 50% of the cost to pave provincially owned roads at their discretion.

The property owners initiating the petition can request to apply one or more of the following charge methods:

1. A uniform amount per lot
2. Length of road frontage
3. Property use
4. Property area
5. Assessed value
6. Another method at Council’s discretion