Alberta Municipalities has put out a budget analysis looking at how the Provincial Budget will impact local communities. Here are the most interesting graphs. I’d encourage you to checkout the full report. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from my personal perspective:

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On Monday, Council directed Administration to start another round of residential snow (and ice) removal. It begins today.

Some streets are melting up fine, but many are experiencing daytime flooding that creates severe freeze issues—problems that could worsen with another cold snap. I was very pleased to see my colleagues support this round of removal. 

Now, the interesting question is: where does Council go next with residential snow and ice control? Snow removal is a topic that is always of high interest to residents. But it is also a great example of how we manage budgets at Council.

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On Monday, Council will be debating the construction of an indoor sport field. The proposal is to build a 135,000 square foot dome in the Trader Ridge Area. It will artificial turf large enough to host a full-size, FIFA compliant 11v11 soccer game. However, it will have netting to allow the field to be divided into smaller configurations and markings to accommodate multiple sports. There are also plans for a secondary building containing locker rooms with showers, washrooms, reception, and storage. It is also hoped that a perimeter track can be included.

It is estimated that this will cost $16.4 million to build. The annual budget impact, including debt repayment, would be an estimated $660,000/year (equivalent to a tax increase of ~0.4%).

Some more information and thoughts:

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