St. Albert city council is restoring some services to the 2022 proposed budget, bumping up the tax hike by $12 for the average home.
After two sessions of debate, what was previously a 2.5-per-cent tax increase has now reached 2.8 per cent. This amounts to a tax increase of $105 for the average house, costing $450,000, city spokesperson Alex Cunningham said in an email Tuesday.
Including the proposed utility increase of 4.5 per cent — amounting to an additional $5.97 for the typical monthly household utility bill — the average St. Albertan will now pay an extra $176.64 for taxes and utilities, should the 2022 budget be approved.
Mayor Cathy Heron noted at the end of budget deliberation the process felt unique this year.
“This is the first time I think we’ve ever gone up from what staff has proposed,” Heron said. “Generally, we whittle it away, and we’ve actually taken it up because of the service levels … it shows me this council cares about the services that we provide our residents.”
The original proposed budget outlined $1.3 million in proposed service cuts. Some of these cuts — such as reducing recreation facilities’ operating hours, and converting local Saturday transit service to on-demand — are here to stay. Others, however, have been restored after council deliberation.
Council voted unanimously to keep public portable toilets at outdoor recreation facilities and parks at current levels, instead of reducing them to save $21,000. Council also voted unanimously in favour of keeping planters at city intersections through an annual flower-planting contract for $72,300.
Transportation safety events — where the city blocks off roads for events such as the Leading Edge Physiotherapy RunWild — also won’t be reduced to save $60,000.
“We’re going to start to return to having events again, and we don’t want to discourage our community from getting out and participating,” Coun. Ken MacKay said during budget deliberation.
The city will also use $115,900 to bring on a full-time municipal energy specialist. Ryan Stovall, director of human resources and safety for St. Albert, said when the city brought on the position in a temporary capacity, $100,000 in savings were found and implemented.
Coun. Natalie Joly, who brought forward the motion, said it might be her favourite.
“This is an increase in service levels in an area that is dear to my heart,” Joly said. “It pays for itself.”
Other examples of additional business cases council voted to fund include $75,000 for the city’s residential energy efficiency incentive program — known as the Home Energy Retrofit Accelerator (HERA) program — and $181,600 for a full-time employee within the city’s Indigenous program.
The cost for this full-time employee includes $110,000 for the employee’s salary and benefits, and about $71,000 for items such as annual ceremony and events, additional community consultation, and economic development initiatives.
One additional cost-saving measure council voted to explore — not initially included in the draft 2022 budget — will reduce grass cutting for boulevards and buffer areas around fields from a 10-day rotation to 12 days, for a savings of $39,000.
City administration noted that when the measures are put into practice, there is a chance the savings may not be realized. The longer time interval will increase clumping from mown grass, requiring additional clean up, Jay Mason, he city's director of public works and transit, said in a backgrounder on the motion.
Heron suggested this particular service adjustment be brought forward for review in a year’s time to check on whether the savings are realized.
Two motions surrounding service levels for outdoor skating also received council support: casual staffing positions for five outdoor rinks will not be cut as initially proposed in the draft budget to save $37,500, and $42,000 will now go toward providing freezeways as a repeated service in the community.
The updated total value of the budget is still being prepared by city administration for consideration at the Dec. 20 council meeting, Cunningham said in an email.
Council will vote on the finalized 2022 budget Dec. 22.
