Thalia Hibbs, newly elected mayor for the City of Lacombe. (City of Lacombe)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

New Lacombe mayor talks election, budget, the year that was, and what’s to come

Nov 28, 2025 | 4:38 PM

Lacombe’s new mayor says she and the new council are settling in nicely, but it’s been a busy first month on the job with training and a number of big decisions.

Thalia Hibbs, who was a council member already, defeated incumbent mayoral candidate Grant Creasey for the mayor’s seat with 1,155 votes to his 1,000. A third candidate, Reuben Calliou, also wasn’t far off with 959 votes.

Hibbs says she will deliver on her campaign promises.

“I definitely wanted to focus a lot more on transparency, accountability, and communication. Obviously, all throughout that needs to be financial responsibility and all the things people expect of elected officials,” Hibbs tells rdnewsNOW.

“What I want to see are improvements so that residents can have confidence in what council is doing. In order to have that, I need to be able to see it, hear it and experience it, and that’s what I ran on.”

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Hibbs notes a strategic planning meeting will happen in early 2026, so council can set its roadmap for the next four years, adding that the new council is energetic and full of ideas.

“There are a lot of good things that are going to happen in Lacombe, I think,” she says.

“There are a lot of really good ideas, and what I see our strength being in this term is that innovative thinking, new energy, and some new focus on economic development.”

Lacombe city council approved their capital budget, operating budget and 10-year capital plan in late November.

The numbers are as follows:

10 year Capital plan 2026-35: $119.2 million (approved as proposed)

• $2 million over five years starting in 2031 for Fire Engine 3 replacement
• $16.2 million starting in 2027 for roads renewal
• $11.68 million over five years starting in 2025 for Pumphouse D
• $2 million placeholder for senior’s lodge
• $10 million over two years starting in 2032 for regional rec. centre contribution
• $12.5 million over two years starting in 2034 for City Hall replacement

2026 Capital budget: $12.91 million (approved as proposed)

Removed from the capital budget before it came to council this week were four items worth a combined $437,500.

They included remediation costs related to the old public works demolition project, Pedestrian Trail to Midway development, work on an addition to the Fairview Cemetery and Columbarium, and pickleball/badminton and storage shed-related upgrades at the Curling Club facility.

2026 Operating budget: $54.26 million proposed (2025: $52.41 million)

Going into debate, the proposed property tax increase was 2.3 per cent, plus 1.0 per cent for special paving tax, for a total of 3.3 per cent.

According to CAO Matthew Goudy, council looked at the existing operating surplus for 2025, and decided to use it to pay some debt down early. The total amount spent from the surplus was $965,531.

In doing so, the property tax increase went down to 1.3 per cent, and with the paving tax on top, wound up at a combined 2.3 per cent.

Council also approved a wage correction allowance of up to 2.3 per cent.

Hibbs says budget debate went very well, noting council reviewed things in great detail and asked many questions.

“We’ve heard over and over again about affordability. All levels of government have a part to play in that, and I know council really wanted to respond to what we heard door-knocking,” she says.

Looking far into the future, a City Hall replacement is still on the table, particularly as more space is needed with the city growing.

According to the Alberta government, Lacombe’s population in 2024 was 14,558, an increase of 6.4 per cent over the prior five years.

But Hibbs says even though $12.5 million is earmarked for 2034/35, there are different possibilities in terms of how that expansion could come to fruition.

She also said it’s critical for council to find a swift solution to the fire hall situation. You can read more about that here.

Looking at the year that was in Lacombe, Hibbs believes the busyness of downtown is a significant indicator of an overall healthy community, economically speaking.

“I also do see some concerns going forward in the sense we need to make sure we’ve got a good mix downtown of different types of businesses. We also need more commercial space within the community, because not every business is suitable for downtown. I hear quite often there are limitations with what’s available,” she says.

“But I’m actually really proud of the things we accomplished this past year. We did a lot of really important roadwork, and we had some very ambitious roadwork plans the last few years. That has addressed some significant issues. We’re not done yet and that’s the reason for the 1.0 per cent paving tax.”

And as for the fire hall situation, it remains up in the air with respect to what could become of the soon-to-be former fire hall, which is a prime location, she says.

Hibbs also notes the city is advocating to the province for help in replacing the local senior’s lodge, which is currently operated by the Lacombe Foundation.

The city has $2 million set aside for that when the time comes, but is hopeful the province will foot some other portion of the bill.