Edmonton city council has approved a 6.6 per cent tax increase for properties in 2024.
Initially city administrators suggested a 7.09 per cent increase for the upcoming four-year budget. However, it was dropped by 2.13 percentage points after lengthy deliberations.
The reason for the tax hike is due to increased costs – with administrators predicting it will cost around $41.2 million to maintain services in 2024.
Only one councillor, Jennifer Rice, opposed the operating budget amendments, while Rice and Karen Principe opposed the capital budget amendments.
The property tax increase for 2025 will be 5.3 per cent, while in 2026 it will increase by another 4.7 per cent.
City council has also approved over $16 million in increases to services, including adding more bus service hours, responding to issues of homelessness, and advancing Edmonton’s anti-racism strategy.
More details on Edmonton’s 2024 budget are expected to come.