Updated: Tue Nov. 24 2009 16:58:35

ctvcalgary.ca

City Council is debating the budget for the second day and has come up with a number for this year's property tax increase.

On Monday, council approved a 4.79 % increase to property taxes which will result in about a $4.50 monthly increase for most households.

Council has also approved the following adjustments to the business plans and budgets for 2010:

• Reductions of 1-1.6 % to previously approved increases to water, wastewater and drainage rates.
• A reduction to short-term downtown parking rates.
• Elimination of Park n' Ride fees at Bus Rapid Transit parking lots.
• Retention of an additional 67 positions in the Calgary Police Service budget.
• An addition of $2 million for a two-year snow and ice removal pilot project.
• An addition of $200,000 for graffiti abatement on private property.
• Maintain 2009 rates for low income transit passes.
• Reductions in all City departments, including removal of 125 full-time equivalent positions.
• Addition of 83.7 positions with no net budget impact, more than 60 of which are funded by the provincial government for public safety communications and road maintenance.
• Additional costs to respond to provincial legislation for the Assessment Review Board.
• No change in the business tax rate for the 17th consecutive year.

The city says that Calgary continues to have the lowest residential property taxes and that the approved adjustments include more than $20 million in cost reductions.

For more information, visit the City of Calgary Website.

Please Add Comments

Bryan
But how will these increases truthfully improve the life of Calgarians?

Each year, there is an overall agreement that the snow removal in Calgary is inadequate. Adding an extra million dollars a year to clear "high priority" routes is not enough. What about the definition of high priority routes in the current snow-removal policy? Seeing the work that $21 million paid for the last few years, I highly doubt $1 million extra will create a visible improvement.

Does anybody live in an area that has ever been considered a priority route? In the south, I've only seen MacLeod Trail cleared. All the other routes are truly dangerous. Taking transit to SAIT Polytechnic every day, the busses struggle on my route to get to the LRT station every year. That's 2+ tonnes of metal struggling on ice. Who's to say any other vehicle could do better?

I am absolutely disgusted by this policy. It needs major improvement.

Darin
If you want to save additional 24 million then scrap the freedom bridge. I a recession we should be sticking to the basic needs and necessities.

Jan - Calgary
WOW - here we go again - budget debate with nothing being done for the homeowners except raising taxes again. What about the reserve??? Oh I forgot, perhaps it will be used to build another bridge for our alderman to use. I certainly hope that the citizens of Calgary remember this come October 2010. We need new blood including aldermen and mayor!!!

Marcia
I did not get a 4.79% increase this year and am sure alot of people got the same as me 0%. Where are we all supporsed to get the money to pay extra taxes AGAIN. Why no change to the business taxes for 17 years???

Mikael
Has anyone driven by one of the 12 City of Calgary Recreation Pools? 10 of the recreation facilities, have these cheap signs that are changed Twice a month. The city contracts it out to some company and it costs 80 dollars every two weeks to change, so we are spending 160 dollars a month to change signs on 10 pools, 1600 dollars a month, and 20 000 dollars a year...now THERE is a waste of money..it may only be a small amount but it shows city waste..and the signs are very tiny that you can't read what they say..and the are never updated either, they say "come splash with us" or "come see our new programs" lets save us some money and get rid of these signs!

Wade Ens
The Mayor and his side kick Gordon Low are masters of the game. They know how to manipulate the system and thier hand appointed department heads submitt the extra high budgets with some fluff built in. The fact is the tax base with all the highrise condos has greatly expanded and no infastructure require. The mayor has kept the road builders busy for years so no real shortgage thier anymore.
Its pretty clear the mayor's phoney stories are not credible and he has to go, we need a mayor that cares more about people than money.

mini
If council cut the budget by more than $20 million, according to the $9 million to cut 1%, should this not have come out to a 4.1% increase? Even so, I don't think this is the time to increase anyone's taxes, given what we've been through this past year!