ON THE AGENDA

Stephanie Swensrude

This week, councillors are set to discuss user fees, the city’s aging bus fleet, and Blatchford’s capital budget.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on May 11, an urban planning committee meeting on May 12, an executive committee meeting on May 13, and a utility committee meeting on May 15.

Here are some key items on the agenda:

• A proposed policy would set user fees for city services to achieve pre-established cost recovery targets. A report to be presented to executive committee said the city’s non-tax revenues have not been keeping pace with the rate of expenditure growth, requiring higher property tax increases to maintain a balanced budget. The city also doesn’t have a consistent approach for determining user fees, the report said. The policy will be presented alongside the 2027-2030 operating budget in the fall. If approved, administration will implement a policy for all user fees and then repeal existing policies for recreation user fees and transit fares. The approach doesn’t necessarily mean that the full cost of services will be covered by such fees, the city said.
• Administration laid out three options to renew the city’s aging bus fleet in a report to be presented to urban planning committee. If council chooses not to replace any buses and spend only $42.4 million to refurbish part of the fleet, there could be a reduction of up to 331,000 annual service hours, the report said. The second option is to spend $186.9 million to replace 100 buses over the four-year budget cycle, which administration said is the minimum investment to avoid service reductions. The third option would see the city spend $386.9 million to replace 300 buses over four years, which would eliminate the need for some refurbishment work. Even if council chooses a moderate level of replacement, more than half of the conventional fleet will be over 20 years old in the next four years, two years past the ideal retirement age.
• Administration will ask utility committee to increase the budget for the distribution piping system in Blatchford. The neighbourhood is developing faster than the original forecast, and pipes need to be installed sooner than expected, said a report to be presented to utility committee. The city said a one-time increase of $7.6 million will not increase the overall capital costs of the district energy system in Blatchford. The report said the faster pace of development is expected to continue.
• The city’s policy for supporting vulnerable people during extreme weather events has been updated to reflect feedback from that population, said a report that will be presented to community and public services committee. The “safety first” principle has been expanded to include psychological and cultural safety, and the “connected” principle has been shifted to “integrated” to emphasize that municipal supports exist within a broad social service system. A new procedure to support the policy introduces clearer articulation of roles and responsibilities. The new policy requires council approval.

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• This morning, at 9:30 am, there will be a Community and Public Services Committee meeting. On the agenda is a report recommending updates to how the City supports vulnerable people during extreme weather such as heat, cold, and poor air quality. The revised policy maintains services like shelter shuttles, respite spaces, water stations, and emergency supplies, while updating definitions and shifting toward a more seasonal, proactive response model. Officials say the program plays a critical role in reducing harm for people experiencing homelessness and is considered aligned with best practices compared to other Canadian and international cities. The review also found that extreme weather responses have expanded since 2019 and are increasingly used as demand grows, with hundreds of extreme weather days recorded over the past several years. Engagement with service providers and people with lived experience showed strong support for the program, along with calls for clearer communication and more consistent access to supports. The updated policy also strengthens accountability measures by adding clearer roles, ongoing evaluation requirements, and improved transparency in how services are delivered.
• Also on the agenda is the UP-Lift Equitable Recreation Programming Plan, developed in response to a 2024 City Auditor’s report calling for stronger equity in recreation services. The plan introduces a city-wide framework aimed at improving access to recreation by reducing barriers for “underserved and underrepresented communities,” supported by 31 actions and performance measures. Key changes include a new Equitable Allotment and Allocation Model that ends automatic rollover of facility bookings and instead prioritizes space for groups that deliver higher community benefit or serve "equity-deserving populations." It also establishes new communications guidelines to improve outreach to communities that have historically had less awareness of City programs. Implementation will begin in 2026, with full rollout expected by late 2027, and officials say the approach may shift facility access and program availability, with some large user groups potentially seeing reduced allocations. 
• The Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. On the agenda is the new Corporate User Fee Policy the City is developing as part of its broader effort to address long-term fiscal pressures and improve consistency in how user fees are applied across municipal services. The policy is intended to standardize cost-recovery targets for services like transit, recreation, and attractions, while still maintaining a mix of user fee and tax funding so that affordability and access are not compromised. Officials note that user fee revenues have grown more slowly than both property taxes and service costs over the past decade, contributing to increasing reliance on the tax levy to balance budgets. The proposed framework introduces principles such as financial sustainability, “beneficiary pays,” and equitable cost allocation, alongside targeted subsidies to reduce financial barriers for low-income residents. It will also replace existing standalone fee policies once implemented, integrating them into a single corporate approach aligned with the 2027-2030 budget cycle. 
• The Edmonton Police Service says it is shifting toward a more targeted, data-driven policing strategy focused on identified “hotspots” of crime and disorder in the city. Chief Warren Driechel said officers are concentrating resources in areas such as Churchill Square, LRT stations, and known problem properties, using intelligence and public reporting to guide deployments. Police data shows mixed results: while calls for service and arrests have increased in some locations, officials report decreases in downtown disorder and violent crime in certain areas, suggesting displacement and focused enforcement rather than overall escalation. The police service is also working more closely with transit peace officers and downtown partners, including sharing CCTV access, to improve response and visibility. Driechel emphasized that tolerating visible disorder can erode community safety over time and said the goal is to restore public confidence through stronger enforcement presence. The approach is being justified as “smarter policing,” aiming to concentrate limited resources where they are most needed while addressing concerns about safety on transit and in the downtown core.
• Business owners along 124 Street in Edmonton say outdated “ePark” signage is still causing confusion for customers, even though the City of Edmonton moved away from the system and shifted to app-based parking payments, including the HotSpot platform. Some merchants report that customers - especially seniors or those without smartphones - struggle with QR codes and digital-only payment methods, and in some cases are unsure whether the system is legitimate or how to use it. City officials acknowledge “growing pains” from the transition, with councillors pointing to usability and customer experience issues rather than age alone, while the Mayor has suggested revisiting options for those without smartphones. The City has said any reintroduction of physical payment options would require Council approval, and is encouraging residents to contact 311 if needed.