After days of deliberation the new Calgary Council approved a municipal property tax rate increase of 3.87 per cent.
According to the City of Calgary this amounts to $6.20 per month for the typical single residential property.
The budget was passed in a 11-4 votes, with Councillors Sonya Sharp, Dan McLean, Sean Chu and Andre Chabot voting against the proposed budget.
“As a Council we passed a budget that provides a path forward building on Calgary’s strengths while addressing challenges from the compounding crises we have faced as a city in recent years,” says Mayor Jyoti Gondek. “The investments we are making will pay real dividends on our road to recovery. Calgarians deserve a return on their investment in their city, and today, we have delivered on that.”
City Manager David Duckworth said in a press release “The 2022 adjustments approved today respond to the evolving needs of citizens and businesses,
“We found a careful balance between reducing costs and modernizing our approach to service delivery, while still maintaining safety, protecting our vulnerable populations, and delivering the quality and service levels that Calgarians expect and need," Duckworth added.
There will also be freezes or decreases to specific user fees in 2022, such as freezes to blue, black and green cart rates, and reductions to building safety and development approval base fees.
Carla Male, the cities Chief Financial Officer added, “Demand for our services remains high, our population is growing, and inflation is rising,
“We continue to manage these factors while working hard to support citizens and businesses in a fiscally sustainable manner," she added.
Specific tax rate impacts will vary by property type depending on the assessed value of a home or business, as well as next year’s provincial tax rate, which will be finalized in the first half of 2022.