Coalhurst Town Council endorses 2025 interim budget

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Sunny South News

Southern Alberta Newspapers

Coalhurst Town Council has endorsed the 2025 interim budget that was presented at the Dec. 3 regular meeting.

With its approval, the Town’s 2025 taxation requirement will increase by 4.61 per cent compared to 2024, which represents approximately a $115,000 increase in municipal costs to be covered by taxation.

Each one per cent increase totals approximately $24,930 for the Town’s budget. 

“After multiple weeks of discussion and a thorough review, Council has approved a budget that gives sincere consideration of its effect on ratepayers while also maintaining the levels of service our citizens have come to expect and rely on,” said Mayor Lyndsay Montina. “In preparing for this budget, Administration and staff carefully assessed every line item and made adjustments to ensure we’re responsibly managing municipal finances and sustainably protecting our municipality’s assets.” 

The Town’s annual operating budget covers essential services residents use every day, including road maintenance, water and sewer services, parks and recreation amenities, family and community support services, and emergency services. 

The 2025 capital budget includes projects such as: 

– completing the paving of the Community Centre parking lots; 

– continued development of the new Wetlands recreation area; 

– replacement parts for the spray park; 

– road rehabilitation projects; 

– sewer main lining and maintenance; and 

– construction of a new storm trunk along 45 Avenue. 

The budget increases include the net results of personnel costs (to account for cost of living adjustments), changes in contractual obligations such as policing and insurance estimates, municipal election expenses, and inflationary increases. 

When the interim budget is prepared at the end of the year, the Town does not know what the following year’s property assessment values will be, nor does the Town have its total insurance costs which are usually provided in February. That means modest adjustments may be required prior to finalization of the budget and the setting of the mill rates in the spring. 

If a 4.61 per cent increase in the municipal tax levy is required in 2025, and if assessments stay the same in 2025 as in 2024, a Coalhurst homeowner with an assessed property value of $350,000 will pay an additional $9.81 per month in municipal taxes next year.