City council recap: Bylaws and budgets

Financial stewardship: Enhancing accountability, efficiency, affordability, and infrastructure maintenance.
Economic development: Supporting business growth, housing advocacy, and downtown revitalization.
Community safety and well-being: Addressing homelessness, social concerns, and public safety resources.
Community acumen: Strengthening communication, collaboration, and trust between administration, council, and the community.

Lodewyk will create a series of objectives to direct administration based on these priorities and report progress back to council at regular intervals, the report said.

Operating budget

In the same meeting, council also approved the 2025 Adopted Budget and approved in principle the three-year operating plan for 2026-2028.

This is a procedural step, intended to communicate necessary information to the province and ensure Red Deer is in compliance with the Municipal Government Act (MGA).

Growth and Finance Manager Mike Olesen said there have been no material changes that would require revisions to the budget council drafted in November 2024.

“For the community, they need to know that we are in compliance with provincial regulations and we are meeting our requirements for filling out what the province needs for information,” commented Lodewyk.

The 2025 Adopted Budget was amended by Councillor Vesna Higham to withdraw $70,000 in expenses toward the 2025 municipal election that were part of a carry over request from a previous year. The amendment passed 5-3, with Councillors Cindy Jefferies, Dianne Wyntjes and Victor Doerksen opposed. As amended, the approval resolution then passed 7-1, with Higham opposed.

The principle approval of the three-year operating plan also passed 7-1, with Kraymer Barnstable opposed.

Lodewyk added that a forecast for the 2026 budget is expected for the end of March or beginning of April and will include more relevant information for the community.

Community Development Grants

Council also tackled updates to the Community Development Grants policy, which were recommended by adminstration after it conducted a review of the current policy’s effectiveness.

The review was prompted by a notice of motion from September 2024 that asked administration to determine whether an additional grant stream dedicated to operational funding would be beneficial to applicants.

Administration developed the following six recommendations as a result of its work:

Improve grant advertising and outreach.
Align reporting requirements to grant size.
Further develop standard templates for grant processes.
Develop follow-up process for unsuccessful applicants.
Formalize the inclusion of a proportion of non-project specific administrative expenses (operating funding).
Implement community impact reporting.
Establish a council process to reassess funding priorities.
Continue current granting streams as established in the Community Development Grant Policy.

Items one to six fall under the city manager’s purview and will proceed at her direction.

A resolution was required from council to enact recommendation number seven; that motion passed unanimously.

Police Committee creation

Council also approved the creation of a Police Committee, as mandated by the provincial government.

In the spring of 2022, Alberta passed the Police Amendment Act, requiring municipalities with a population above 15,000 to create a municipal policing committee to oversee RCMP service delivery. This act becomes enforceable on March 1.

As a result, first, second and third readings of amendments to the Council Committees Bylaw, made to inform the creation of this new committee, passed unanimously.

According to the province, the committee will have the following duties:

Overseeing the administration of the municipal police service agreement.
Representing the interests and concerns of the public and of the council to the officer in charge.
Developing a yearly plan of priorities and strategies for municipal policing in consultation with the officer in charge.
Developing a community safety plan in conjunction with the local police detachment and chief elected official, including a plan for collaboration between the community and community agencies, and providing the plan annually (or on request) to the minister of public safety and emergency services.
Assisting in the selection of the officer in charge.
Reporting annually (or on request) to the minister on the implementation of and updates to the programs and services to achieve the priorities of the police service as developed.

Red Deer’s administration recommended that the committee consist of seven voting members, including two councillors and five citizen representatives, and non-voting members such as the Red Deer RCMP officer in charge, the manager of Safe and Healthy Communities, and the manager of Municipal Policing.

A recruitment campaign is expected to roll out to the public in the coming weeks.

Utilities borrowing bylaws

Finally, council passed second and third reading on a suite of borrowing bylaws related to the 2025 Utilities Budget, which was passed on Oct. 1, 2024.

Based on approved funding sources outlined in the capital budget, borrowing will likely be required to complete essential infrastructure upgrades.

As a result, the following bylaws were passed:

3714/2025 – 2025 Electric Infrastructure Replacements & Upgrades Project
3715/2025 – 2025 Electric Overhead & Underground Systems – Annual Program
3716/2025 – 2025 Electric Customer Metering Project
3717/2025 – 2025 Wastewater Main Infrastructure – Annual Program
3718/2025 – 2025 Water Infrastructure – Annual Program
3719/2025 – 2025 Water Treatment Rehabilitation & Replacement Project
3720/2025 – 2025 Water Utility Infrastructure Project

by Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

City council recap: Bylaws and budgets

2025 priorities

Operating budget

Community Development Grants

Police Committee creation

Utilities borrowing bylaws

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