Coaldale residents will see a residential property tax increase of 1.84 per cent after town council approved its 2023-2025 operating and 2023-2027 capital budget this week. It was approved on Dec. 12 and will see a slightly larger increase for non-residential properties, at 3.22 per cent.
During deliberations, council had to find an additional $375,269 in revenue to maintain current service levels, $15,000 of that is also for minor service enhancements. The town says the need for additional revenue comes from high inflation and policing costs. The municipality had to increase the budget for policing by $274,493 and says it was on the hook for the entirety of it because of its agreement with the RCMP.
“Every municipality in Canada is facing the same inflationary pressures and Coaldale is no exception,” says Mayor, Jack Van Rijn. “The price of goods and services has gone up everywhere and in a lot of cases, municipalities have had no choice but to either significantly increase property taxes or cut services to balance their budgets. Luckily, our council and town staff were able to find a way to maintain current service levels without having to significantly increase property taxes, and were even able to put together an ambitious capital budget that’s funded almost entirely through grant dollars and municipal reserves.”
The budget includes $7 million for a new potable water reservoir and pump station, which is contingent on grant funds from the province. Other significant spends include $1 million for a pedestrian crossing at Highway 3 & Land O’ Lakes Drive; $500,000 for bathrooms and a concession behind the town’s Civic Square building.
Money has also been allocated to develop a new outdoor space behind the building — the $1.2 million allocation includes an outdoor skating rink. Nearly $500,000 will go towards pool renovations, which are set to include installation of a water slide.
“As a council, we’re extremely proud of putting together a well-rounded and financially sound capital budget that allocates funding according to many of the priorities and goals identified in our strategic plan,” Van Rijn says. “That plan was put together after an extensive public consultation process, and I can honestly say that this budget reflects much of the feedback we received during that process. From enhancing public safety and recreation to ensuring service excellence and investing in our core infrastructure, this capital budget really does cover it all.”