The proposed 2015 operating and capital base budget for Rocky View County (RVC) will be presented to council at a public meeting on Dec. 9.
A 4.3 per cent increase in property taxes is proposed in the new base budget. This includes a three per cent rise aimed at maintaining existing County services and service standards, as well as an additional 1.3 per cent increase to complete funding of the operations of the recently opened Bearspaw Firehall.
According to Reeve Margaret Bahcheli, the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicated an inflation rate of 2.6 per cent, which provided the base for the three per cent increase in property taxes for RVC residents.
“Our tax increases have basically been in line with what our assessment is of the local inflation rate. Other than that, we’ve had basically zero real tax increases for years,” Bahcheli said.
The 1.6 per cent increase is proposed to provide funding to the new Bearspaw Firehall. Bahcheli said the brand-new facility is a state-of-the-art, full service, unionized hall located along Highway 1A. According to Bahcheli, the firehall will respond to other municipalities up and down the highway.
Bahcheli said, RVC administration recommended that an anticipated $1 million go toward paying off some of the County’s debt, but Bahcheli added this item may be up for debate when budget draft is presented to council on Dec. 9.
“If you took that million out and put it toward the fire hall, we are back to basically just the inflation rate increase,” she said.
However, she added that after the New Year, special projects may be added to the budget that could effect the tax rate.
The proposed budget projects the county will collect $58 million in taxes in 2015, with 50 per cent coming from residents and 50 per cent coming from industrial and commercial developments.
The budget includes recommendations from RVC residents, who had the opportunity to provide input through open houses and an online survey. Public engagement was a focus for the county in 2014, and will continue to be a priority for budget development in coming years.
“Historically, we’ve put the draft budget online and it’s been available there for a while, but when we sit and meet we get the same two or three people showing up every year to ask a couple of questions,” Bahcheli said.
“We are trying all kinds of innovative things right now to get more participation from the public in terms of our budget. It’s all about transparency.”
Discussions will begin early in the new year to decide if any new services or initiatives may need to be added to the base budget, which allows the continued operation of the County’s core services. Following the release of the provincial budget, the 2015 budget for RVC should be approved in April.
This proposed draft includes the results of the consultation, and RVC is planning to offer similar public engagement opportunities for future budget development.
To view the 2015 Draft Operating and Capital Base Budget, visit rockyview.ca.
