Edmonton back alley repair could lead to 1.27% tax increase

Edmontonians could soon be paying more to fix the nearly 1,200 kilometres of back alleys across the city.

A report going to Edmonton City Council this week proposes a 1.27 per cent tax increase over three years, from 2019 to 2022, to help pay for back alley rehabilitation and renewal.

The tax increase would pay for a 25-year, $18 million-per-year program to pay for repairs to the city’s network of alleyways.

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From potholes to structural failures, two-thirds of Edmonton’s 1,175 kilometres of back alleys are in poor condition, according to the report.

While the city has dedicated programs to fund, plan and implement renewals to roads and neighbourhood streets, there is not a program in place to repair alleys.

For years, the only way residents could get their back alleys fixed was if a majority of homeowners on any given block agreed to cover much of the cost.

In April, city councillors voted in favour of rolling the cost of back alley repairs into the neighbourhood renewal program, which is supported by all Edmonton homeowners through a dedicated portion of property taxes, meaning all Edmontonians would be on the hook for alley upgrades, even if they don’t have one.