St. Albert residents could be facing a 5.5 per cent property tax increase next year, according to a report to council regarding the city's 2024 budget, a draft of which is set to be released on Tuesday.
The report, written by Darijia Sloka, manger of strategic services, and Suzanne Findlay, manager of financial services, explains that administration's initial municipal operating budget is coming in at $134.1 million. The city's budget this year was $124.9 million.
Of the $134.1 million budgeted for next year, the report says, $41.5 million will cover 43 capital projects.
“(Twenty-five) capital charters ... focusing on repairing, maintaining and/or replacing existing municipal infrastructure, and 18 capital charters that address community growth,” the report says.
For utility charges, the draft budget on Tuesday will propose a 7.2 per cent increase, “or a change of $10.44 per month,” the report states, adding that behind the 7.2 per cent increase is five business cases that will address needed capacity to deliver utility services.
The draft budget will also include a total 14 utility capital projects, representing $22.4 million of the city's overall budget, 13 of which are designed to maintain or replace existing utility infrastructure, while the remaining project will address growth, the report explains.
“In developing the 2024 proposed budget, Administration was guided by Council-approved services and service levels, Council’s Strategic Plan, and our Corporate Business Plan,” the report states. “These plans are forward-thinking, and priority driven which ensures that we are planning for the future, while delivering essential programs and efficient, effective services to the community today.”
“The proposed 2024 budget focuses on maintaining the high standards expected for delivery of programs and services to the community, while responding to community growth. It emphasizes the need to invest in the future by enabling non-residential development, diversifying revenue and increasing connectivity throughout our city, to include growth areas.”
The report's authors say that, like municipalities throughout Canada, St. Albert faces “significant inflationary pressures and reduced provincial capital grant funding,” while also trying to manage a decrease in revenue from public transit and city-offered recreation services.
“Our City remains dedicated to fiscal responsibility by constantly seeking opportunities for improvement, targeted investment in priority areas, and sound resource and financial management for the betterment of our residents, individually and collectively.”
In April the Gazette reported that administration's preliminary estimate of next year's property tax increase was 4.8 per cent, however the report doesn't explain why the tax increase jumped to 5.5 per cent.
The city's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Bill Fletcher will present the draft 2024 budget to council on Tuesday, after which council will have most of November to put forward motions to make changes to the budget. Following the allotted time period to submit budget motions, council will then have multiple meetings to debate and vote on any budget changes.
Last November council needed just two meetings to debate more than 40 council-proposed changes to the budget.
