By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

dollars and cents

Lacombe city council sets guidelines for 2025 budgets

Oct 21, 2024 | 11:38 AM

Lacombe city council has given direction to administration for what it wants to see out of the 2025 operating and capital budgets.

The operating budget will be introduced with a proposed 3.2 per cent property tax increase, plus a 1.0 per cent special paving tax and a 3.0 per cent cost-of-living allowance. Last year’s property tax increase was 3.75 per cent.

That cost-of-living increase is nearly in line, the city says, with the Alberta Consumer Price Index, which hit 3.2 per cent this summer.

According to the Oct. 15 council agenda:

“The 2025 proposed budget for franchise fee revenue is $148,400 higher than in 2024 because of sales volume growth. Council reduced the city’s 2025 natural gas (ATCO) franchise fee to 29.25 per cent and maintained the 2025 electricity (Fortis Alberta) franchise fee at the current rate of 17.63 per cent at the Sept. 23, 2024 council meeting.”

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The operating budget also sees a net overall user fee revenue increase across water, wastewater and solid waste, at 7 per cent, or $850,711.

Broken down, it looks like this:

• Water increased by $511,610, or 10.4%, because of a higher-than-usual rate hike from the North Red Deer River Water Commission;
• Wastewater increased by $258,692, or 5.6%;
• and Solid Waste increased by $80,409, or 3%

As for the capital budget, it comes in at an estimated $10.82 million and will be funded in the following ways:

• Grants – $2.47M
• Reserve Withdrawals – $5.05M
• Outside Sources – $1.75M
• Debentures – $1.55M
• Total Funding Sources – $10.82M

It includes 24 projects, the largest of which is continued work on the new fire station. For that project, there is $2.25 million estimated for 2025. Another half million was spent in 2023, and then $2.25 million in 2024, with $3 million also slated for completion in 2026 — the project has a total budget of $8 million.

Other projects include phase 1B of Fairview Cemetery expansion, HVAC replacement and modernization at the sportsplex, trail repair at Cranna Lake, ball diamond upgrades, 76 Street upgrades, and fire ladder truck replacement.

Notably, in the capital plan, which covers 2025 to 2034, City Hall replacement is pegged at $2.5 million, starting in 2034.

Council will take up budget deliberations on the following dates:

• Tuesday, October 29 – Capital – Budget Workshop 2
• Wednesday, October 30 – Operating – Budget Workshop
• Tuesday, November 12 – Operating and Capital – Possible Adoption of Budgets
• Monday, November 25 – Operating and Capital – Adoptions (if required)
• Monday, December 9 – Operating and Capital – Adoptions (if required)

To view the budget reports in the Oct. 15 council agenda, visit lacombe.ca.