Fort Saskatchewan’s City Council approved the 2024 Operating and Capital budgets during their meeting on December 12.
The Operating budget is a total of $94,610,459, including $23,367,856 for the Utilities budget, while the Capital budget was approved at $28,692,400. The Capital budget includes road construction, water upgrades, and neighbourhood sewage.
“Council understands that we need to provide the services and amenities that meet our needs as a growing community,” said Mayor Gale Katchur.
Several projects were also approved in the budget. These projects include:
- New roundabouts at Westpark Drive and Woodbridge Link, and 95A Avenue and Westpark Way.
- Upgrades to water, sewer and storm infrastructure, as well as sidewalks, streetlamps, curbs, and roadway on 100 Ave and Phase III of Lowe Ave.
- City-wide security cameras to be installed at various high-use city locations, such as West River’s Edge Pavilion, Legacy Park and CN Station, Fort Heritage Precinct, Pryce Alderson Park and the boat launch.
- Lifecycle replacement of a fire engine to ensure compliance with fire regulations and standards for fleet size and service levels.
Revenue sources for the Operating budget include property taxes, grants, fines, and utility rates. As for the Capital budget, it’s primarily funded through capital reserves, external grants, and debt.
As for tax rates, they’ll be approved in May 2024, but based on the proposed plan, property owners may see their taxes change by around 4.2 per cent.
