Residents across Grande Prairie can expect to pay a little more when it comes to property taxes next year after members of Grande Prairie city council tentatively approved the 2022 municipal budget.
The 1.16 per cent increase, below the level of inflation, is part of a longer-term strategy, with officials saying the upcoming budget helps focus on efficient operations to support a sustainable future.
Mayor Jackie Clayton says over the past year, the municipality was able to receive relief funding from the federal and provincial governments over the last 12 months to help advance several large capital projects.
She adds it enabled the city to get ahead while still remaining cognizant of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as upcoming reductions in provincial funding.
“The budget reflects the cost of maintaining currently approved services adjusted for inflation, growth, service changes, capital projects, and the impacts of COVID-19 with a strong future focus to grow our community sustainably year-after-year,” she says.
Some of the bigger ticket items in the budget include $11.5 million to existing road rehabilitation, $3.2 million in storm replacement and rehab, and $2.5 million in enterprise resource planning projects. The budget will be ratified as part of the Grande Prairie city council meeting on December 13th.