Preliminary budget documents obtained by Global News show the slew of funding requests from city departments under consideration by Calgary city council could result in a significant, double-digit property tax increase next year.
The confidential documents, which were presented to city council during a closed session meeting on July 28, indicate property tax revenue would need to increase by 20.2 per cent in 2027 to fund an additional $510 million in operating spending required to cover a number of budget requests from various city departments and partners.
Those funding requests, if approved, would also result in hikes over the ensuing years: 8.5 per cent property tax increase in 2028, a nine per cent increase in 2029 and an 8.9 per cent increase in 2030; the final year of this council’s four-year budget.
It remains unclear how significant an impact those property tax increases could have on monthly bills.
“It is important to recognize the significant gap between funding requests and available funding,” administration said in a cover report as part of the preliminary budget documents.
According to a slide deck presented to council during the closed session, the city has additional funding capacity of just $139 million for the various budget requests without the need to increase property taxes in 2027.
However, property taxes would need to rise 5.4 per cent next year just to maintain services.
Council spent much of the July 28 meeting reviewing more than 107 requests for funding increases from various departments, including Calgary Transit, Mobility, the Calgary Fire Department and the Calgary Police Service.
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The report warned there is “a high likelihood” that funding requests will continue to exceed available financial capacity “if not sufficiently addressed through prioritization, scaling or reducing requests.”
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters Wednesday it was premature to speculate what the property tax increase will be and any figures “floating around” would be the total of all the requests in front of council.
“We’re going to consider everybody’s asks, but we’re going to be funnling that down specifically for essential infrastructure, specifically for public safety, and the investments to be able to catch up particularly in those areas that will save money in the long run,” Farkas said.
“Just because you ask for something, doesn’t mean you get it.”
Global News has learned city councillors were provided workbooks to rank and prioritize the budget requests in front of them, in which many aren’t expected to make it into the finalized four-year spending plan.
City councillors have already directed administration to refine the preliminary property tax increases after a narrow 8-7 vote following the July 28 meeting.
Although the council direction was confidential, it was included in the slew of documents obtained by Global News.
As part of that direction, administration will brief council on an updated review of the four-year budget that proposes a 15 per cent property tax increase next year, followed by a 12.5 per cent increase in 2028, a nine per cent jump in 2029 and a six per cent increase in 2030.
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Couns. Rob Ward, Landon Johnston, Mike Jamieson, Dan McLean, Andre Chabot, Kim Tyers and Jennifer Wyness voted against.
Johnston, who represents Ward 14, told Global News he believes city council will need to cut up to $300 million from the preliminary spending to deliver a property tax increase Calgarians would deem acceptable.
“We’re always asking taxpayers to tighten the belt, now is the time for council to tighten the belt,” he said.
“There’s going to be some tough choices, but as long as we fund our police, fund our fire, fund our roads, fund our water, Calgarians will be happy with that.”
In a statement to Global News, a city spokesperson said work continues on the four-year budget with a focus on “the services and infrastructure Calgarians expect and rely on every day.
“Council provided funding guidance that administration requires to refine and prioritize budget requests that help form the creation of the budget document,” the statement read.
“These are not approved or final numbers and do not represent the tax change on an individual property owner.”
Spending on infrastructure is also expected to be cornerstone of the upcoming four-year budget, with the preliminary documents indicating around $21 billion in capital spending needs between next year and 2030.
“At present, known financial capacity does not exist to fund all needs,” the confidential report warned, with $13 billion of net new financial capacity for capital infrastructure spending.
The report notes that figure is “approximately three times” the financial capacity for new infrastructure spending in the previous four-year budget.
Following further refinements in September, the proposed four-year budget is expected to be released to the public on Nov. 10, with budget deliberations to begin on Nov. 23.
Even fat Nenshi or his bimbo Gondek ever tried to implement the first departments wish list requests.
This just another leftist media hatchet job story.
Right, all those tax dollars are needed to fill all the REQUEST for WANTS of all those various GROUPS and NOT SPEND ON JUST THE NEEDS of all the people who work and live in Calgary. Go BACK to just paying for all the NEEDS of the city, like fixing and maintaining infracture for one expense that never should have bene changed or omitted all these years by incompetent Mayors and Council that chose WANTS over NEEDS of all calgarians tax dollars.
Start cutting Jobs at City Council and freeze pay rises.
Time to clean the house and stop the stealing from our pockets
What happened? How about Calgarians start blaming the UCP for this? Way back when, Danielle Smith led the Wildrose, she campaigned on more funding for Alberta municipalities. Remember the time Danielle Smith was mentioning on air in her position as a radio host about property taxes in Calgary going up to pay for the new hockey arena Calgary was looking to get, if it did proceed? The UCP managed to evade paying property taxes on provincial government buildings in different cities and towns in Alberta. At least $250 million in property taxes wasn’t collected by the UCP from the oil companies. Cutting off photo radar was another big mistake by the UCP. Municipalities absorbed these costs. The UCP wastes and spends even billions of dollars on foolish things, and people have the gall to lay blame elsewhere. This is the fault of the UCP and those who voted for them. With the hockey arena for Calgary, a mayoral candidate, Bill Smith, wanted the new hockey arena for Calgary, but he wasn’t up front with how it would be paid for. Calgarians, would end up paying for it. Bill Smith got defeated.
Axe the Bike Path Department. Axe the Ugly Art Department. Axe the Affordable Housing Department.
Not at a zero increase budget yet? Keep chopping NON ESSENTIAL Departments. Outsource the IT Department or the parts of it not generating hard cash for the City.
CTV news reports that it was a councillor that leaked the documents to the media!
About time someone stood up and let people know just how bad the city administration is and how they keep relying on the taxpayer to put out more funds and then tell us to keep tightening our belts as they cannot seem to work on lowering property taxes and the city budget.
Yes we need more people like this councillor to stand up and say enough is enough. We the tax payers are done with all the excess spending and ridiculous wants.
We need infrastructure improvements yes but not at the cost of putting the taxpayer into more debt.
It will never happen but it would be nice to see a MLA or an MP do the same for the provincial or federal governments and stand up for the taxpayers!
Not sure how this is possible when the last 3 years the City has had a significant budget surplus? Now all of a sudden everyone asking for more money. This is what happens when you don’t have responsible people spending other people’s money.
Replace every department involved in any aspect of city management. You know…the ones that ACTUALLY manage the city and its services. These people aren’t voted in and many have been employed since bronco-boy. Fire them all.
Every last god-damned one.
This is good. Municipalities need to get so bad that all taxpayers revolt and demand changes to how municipalities are run. At the moment the only people that vote in numbers are city union workers and special interest groups that always vote for increased spending. Maybe the next election regular people will vote out these radical leftist councillors and return the cities to just focus on infrastructure like they did in the past.
I thought we got rid of the NDP h8tful 8 on council . The spending continues from the new lefty city hall.
Fund the police and fire departments. Keep the roads in good shape all year round. Make sure there is water and the garbage is picked up. Everything else should be funded strictly by those who want it. Want a new field house, put your money in the hat! More transit, put your money in the hat. Always having to pay for things you do not use with higher property taxes!
Perhaps we should look at all the OT being gifted to city employees
Enough with property tax increases. My property tax increases $200 per month from last year. Property taxes tripled under Nenshi and Gondek. Cut the fat and there’s lots of it. Charged for water maintenance and what did we get – water main breaks. Property owners have had enough of these ridiculous requests by city bureaucrats
How about all city councillers take a 50% decrease in salaries!
Why aren’t some past and present City Councilors and Mayors in prison for this?
Our last 2 mayors increased my property taxes by 12 per cent a year. Im hope this council has more common sense not to raise them that much. Some people will lose their homes if they go up to much.
Everything is getting so expensive.
Sorry for the typos in that comment.
Was too busy working on how I can increase but income by 30% so I can afford to pay all the increased taxes!
Nice rage bait headline.
White not say the taxes are going up 30%.
Will property taxes go up? Of course they will as there is not a councillor that would put out a recommendation to reduce taxes to actually try and help out any Calgarian to work on lowering the cost of living.
Surprised though that this was caused by the President and the implementation of tariffs.
And just wait as the province will also increase their share of the taxes next year as well.
Then wait while the price of Carbon will rise next year to help increase their share cost of living for everyone!
But at least those Carbon taxes will help save the environment because of climate change. For those that do not understand that is some sarcasm!
Climate change has and always will happen with, or without humans as the same things have happened on this world long before we populated it.
Must be nice to increase property taxes by 15%, 12.5%, etc. I’m sure the salaries of the people impacted won’t match these ridiculous increases!!