Lethbridge County council has approved its 2023 operating and capital budget for the next year with an average tax increase of 4.1 per cent after projected growth.
This will be the largest hike the county has experienced within the last five years. Homeowners in the county saw taxes go up 1.63 per cent in 2021-2022.
Reeve Tory Campbell said the jump comes as a result of outward pressures.
“I was pleased to see that staff was able to bring us a budget that I think was realistic,” Campbell said. “We were able to work in the fact that that we were dealing with inflation.
“We were able to deal with that (but) still provide and maintain levels of service, as well as take on some new projects.”
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The county’s budget was also impacted by the province making changes to the cost of policing and to recreation funding. The changes resulted in an added cost of nearly $300,000 this year and about $700,000 for 2023.
Ann Mitchell, the chief administrative officer for Lethbridge County, said these are hurdles when it comes to budget deliberations.
“A lot of these increases are outside of our control, so I do want to say that both council and administration really looks all the time… ‘How can we minimize the impact to our ratepayers?'” Mitchell said.
The county identified more than $800,000 in cost savings to offset these new expenses.
For capital projects, the county wants to ensure proper facilities are in place for future opportunities with agri-food processing.
“We see a tremendous amount of opportunity within that corridor,” Campbell said. “So it’s making sure that we’re trying to be proactive moving forward to have that infrastructure to support that future industry.”
Campbell said even with taxes increasing, he expects to see a continuation of growth in the county’s future.