Lethbridge County residents are looking at a tax increase of 5.7 per cent after council approved its 2024-2025 operating and 2024–2028 capital budgets. In the upcoming year, council approved $32,552,720 in operation costs and $12,145,000 for capital projects.
According to Reeve Tory Campbell in 2024, council and administration are anticipating to see additional impact from inflation, increased insurance premiums, and the federal carbon tax. Along with the projected tax increase council also increased the amount of money being put into the municipality’s reserves for future infrastructure projects.
“After a thorough review and many discussions on the best path forward, we believe this budget will allow the County to provide these essential municipal services, while allocating sufficient funds to the future, with as minimal a tax increase as possible,” Campbell says.
Included in the approved budget is $1.9 million in capital funding for utility infrastructure upgrades in Shaughnessy, $1.6 million for septic field replacement in the Broxburn Business Park and over $1.5 million in capital funding for rehabilitation of a portion of Township Road 10-0A, otherwise known as Westview Road.
Council also approved transferring $1.4 million to reserves for future infrastructure projects in 2024, which aims to address the municipality’s infrastructure deficit.
“Council has determined that to remain sustainable, we must start saving more aggressively for the future.”
Also included in the budget are recreation contributions to neighbouring municipalities, RCMP fees and Family and Community Support Services.