Municipal budget season is about to launch.
As councils head into their final budget before the next municipal election in October, they will begin their most important role of deciding what to spend, what not to fund and ultimately what services they feel their respective communities need for the coming year and beyond.
Though it could be easy to slash and burn items in a budget, the balancing act of maintaining and growing existing services is a delicate dance that is neither free nor easy.
In municipalities across the country, aspects such as housing, recreation, transit and social services make real and significant impacts on residents.
People may gripe about paying taxes, but the reality is many of the services provided through the funding are required and helpful.
Among the most important aspects of preparing and weighing a budget is engaging and consulting residents and organizations at every opportunity possible.
When Calgary council began its budget deliberations on Nov. 18, more than 30 residents and organizations offered feedback on the first day.
Though listening isn’t akin to agreeing, it’s crucial to get a feel of what is needed in the community by hearing from constituents.
Canmore’s finance committee is set to meet starting in November and potentially continuing into January. Normally wrapping up in December, it was delayed due to the off-site levy appeal between the Town and developers that left key municipal staff tied up.
The municipality will also have its first run at what level to fund its polarizing vacancy tax, which will eventually see second homeowners in the community taxed at a higher rate.
The MD of Bighorn will start its review in December, potentially adding two new positions.
In Banff, its annual service review will start Nov. 27, with council already having drawn a hard line in the sand for potential new expenses. In July, Banff council told staff any new service level requests needed to come from reserves, grants, associated revenue of the Town’s successful funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Council already rejected a new full-time position requested last month, indicating it will likely be only the essentials up for consideration.
Though the provincial and federal budgets are several months away, their outcomes have an ultimate impact on local tiers of government across the country.
New initiatives are ultimately dropped by provincial and federal governments, leading to potential pros and cons for residents in the Bow Valley.
The Danielle Smith government’s first budget was more austerity in nature, despite provincial coffers being flush with money from oil and gas and municipalities begging for additional infrastructure funding.
Without help from the province, infrastructure needs are often tossed into the hands of local taxpayers.
Municipalities are also on the hook for collecting education tax on behalf of their respective provinces, which can often be confused as going back into local coffers rather than spread throughout the province. If you ever want to see a municipal elected official fume with frustration, ask their opinions on education tax collection, grab some popcorn and buckle in.
At the federal level, the highest tier of government has been one of free-spending, largely focused on economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and attempting to increase the construction of badly needed housing.
Of course, the non-stop battles between the two upper tiers have put municipalities – locked in at the lowest rung of the governance ladder – at the receiving end of children being fought over by a separated couple during the holidays.
Locally, though, council’s and the tax rate that’s eventually set have the greater impact or burden on residents.
Anything set by council should be looked at with a farsighted view of what it can achieve in the coming years, but it’s equally important for elected officials to understand what the electorate expects in the short-term.
As is the case with any public budget, it should ultimately be weighed on what is delivered rather than what is promised or hoped to come true.
