Wheatland County residents are looking at a potential 3 per cent municipal tax increase.
Wheatland County passed its 2024 Capital and Operating budget at the April 2 Wheatland County Council meeting, which includes a 3 per cent increase in its tax-supported portion of the operating budget.
“Wheatland County Council is pleased to announce the approval of the Operating and Capital Budgets for the 2024 fiscal year. Council and Administration have meticulously reviewed the budget to ensure its alignment with Wheatland County’s Strategic Plan,” said Reeve Amber Link. “Wheatland County strives to maintain a balanced approach to spending, ensuring effective management of assets and strategic investment in infrastructure to facilitate growth while safeguarding financial stability. Overall, the budgets prioritize fiscal responsibility and strategic investment, aiming to deliver quality services to both residents and businesses within the County.”
One budget pressure is an obligation to pay approximately $900,000 for RCMP policing costs, paid to the province.
One note in a press release is that despite challenges posed by inflation, they are committed to affordability and fostering economic growth to keep taxes to a minimum.
“In 2023, the average residential property paid $1,354 in taxes. Due to growth and development in the County’s non-residential tax base, the average residential property is expected to pay $30.39 more in 2024, representing only a 2.2% increase,” it notes.
The operating budget is approximately $69.7 Million. Of this, $41.8 million is tax-supported and about $16.4 million is drawn from reserves.
The 3 per cent tax increase does not include requisitions for education. In 2024, Wheatland County is required to collect $10.8 million towards its Education Requisition through property tax billing. This is an amount that will be collected and directly remitted to the province.
The council is looking at $8.4 million toward the raw water supply and several infrastructure projects including road work and bridgework.
The council also passed its 2024 capital budget of approximately $39.9 million. A large portion of the capital budget is dedicated to water projects ($11.9 million), equipment ($6.5 million) and Public Works ($16.6 million ) for road maintenance, construction and bridges.
The Tax Rate Bylaw has not been passed.
