Responsible spending the focus of Leduc’s 2024 Budget
The City of Leduc’s 2024 Budget was approved by City Council during a public meeting on Dec. 11 after thorough review and debate, and consideration of public feedback from the 2024 Budget Survey and commentary to Council.
Budget deliberations included careful consideration of tax implications for residents while maintaining service delivery levels. Accordingly, the 2024 Budget focuses on maintaining services and investing in growth where it provides the most immediate value to residents.
“We received clear feedback from our community that in these tough economic times, they want our municipal spending to be responsible and balanced,” says City of Leduc Mayor Bob Young. “We took a good look at proposed spending and really examined where it made sense to invest and where we could scale back or defer. The result is a budget that will continue to deliver the high quality of services that our community counts on.”
Services included in the budget that support high quality of life:
- Protective Services, including fire, ambulance, policing and enforcement
- Utility Services, including water, and garbage collection
- Public Services, including road maintenance, snow removal, maintenance of green spaces
- Increases in On Demand Transit service
Results from the City’s Budget Planning Survey this past spring indicated that residents feel they receive good value for their tax dollars and that more residents were in favour of maintaining or increasing taxes than those who wanted to see a reduction in taxes and a subsequent lowering of service levels.
The City’s projected revenue requirement for the approved 2024 operational budget is $122 million, which is funded primarily through property taxes, utility services, and government transfers. Included in the $122 million is an estimated 5.1% increase in the property tax revenue requirement over 2023; the impact on an average home assessed at $350,000 would be about $11 per month. Individual property taxes will be determined in the spring when property assessment and the mill rate are set.
The approved 2024-2026 capital budget is $98 million and is primarily funded through City reserves, off-site levies and grants. Projects of note in a three-year window include annual road construction, a snow storage site, 47th Street multiway and a new cemetery.
“This year’s budget development was, as always, a very comprehensive and collaborative process between Council and Administration to ensure it is fully reflective of the needs and desires of the community we are accountable to,” says City Manager Derek Prohar. “The 2024 Budget maps a sustainable path forward for our City, with responsible investment in community development and support, prudent restraint in growth and capital spending, and ongoing support for consistent service delivery.”