Administration has released a draft 2027-2030 budget recommending property tax increases of 4.9% in 2027, 4.7% in 2028, 4.5% in 2029, and 3.9% in 2030, a cumulative 18% compared with 26% over the previous four years. A home assessed at $492,500 would pay about $335 a month in 2027, about $18 more than in 2026, while the bus fare would rise from $3 to $3.15 and an adult monthly transit pass from $102 to $107.10. City Manager Eddie Robar called it a "not sexy" budget focused on basics, and the operating budget, which would grow from $4.2 billion in 2027 to $4.7 billion in 2030, includes $249.5 million in service improvements, $96.4 million of it for snow removal, mowing, graffiti removal, and litter pickup. The proposed $6.3-billion capital budget includes $3 billion for projects already approved and $3.3 billion in new funding. The City says it still leaves a $2.5-billion renewal gap, while annual debt servicing costs are set to top $500 million. Mayor Andrew Knack called about $20 more a month a moderate amount, while Ward 3 (tastawiyiniwak) Councillor Karen Principe said the City needs to focus on core services and find efficiencies to reduce the increases. Council will hold a public hearing on November 23rd, then debate the budget with a plan to approve it by December 18th.
The Edmonton Police Service and the Edmonton Police Commission are asking Council to add $61.66 million to the City's draft 2027-2030 capital budget for technology upgrades. Police requested $182.97 million in capital funding over four years, for items including new radios, an upgraded dispatch system, cybersecurity, and protective equipment, and Administration has recommended $121.31 million. Police Chief Warren Driechel said that without the rest, the service would have to keep old servers and radios for longer, while Commission Chair Ben Henderson called IT enhancements "the one area where we haven't got a dime". Policing is already the largest item in the budget, with a proposed 2027 operating budget of $675 million, up from $628 million this year. Of that, $567 million would come from the City through a funding formula that adds $55.8 million over four years, with about a quarter of the new money going to a plan focused on crime hotspots such as downtown. Ward 8 (papastew) Councillor Michael Janz questioned how police are managing their base budget, noting that no other City department gets automatic increases and that the City's police funding is already about 68% higher than the $337 million budgeted in 2018.
While City Hall considered raising taxes even further on non-residential properties, a new report suggests Edmonton's already high taxes are contributing to rising industrial vacancy rates in the City, while outlying areas continue to fill up. Within city limits, vacant industrial space grew by more than 172,000 square feet in the third quarter of this year, while Nisku added almost 220,000 square feet of occupied space and Acheson added another 77,000. David St. Cyr, Principal of Avison Young, the firm that authored the report, said an industrial client with an Edmonton tax bill of more than $200,000 a year would pay just $80,000 in Leduc County, and that shorter trucking times also draw businesses south. Ward 1 (Nakota Isga) Councillor Reed Clarke called the numbers concerning, but said matching Leduc County's rates would be incredibly hard, and he said Edmonton may eventually need to focus on light industry and mixed use instead of heavy industry. The City's draft budget would raise the levy on non-residential properties by about $124 per $100,000 of value in 2027.
Mayor Andrew Knack is calling on the Province to amend the Safety Codes Act and the Municipal Government Act so the City can deny permits to builders who repeatedly break the rules, revoke their business licences, and impose larger fines. Knack set out the request in an October 30th letter to Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams. The City's maximum fine is $10,000, which Knack said may not be enough to deter larger developers. Under the Municipal Government Act, the City must approve a development permit if the paperwork is done properly, and the Safety Codes Act prevents municipalities from passing bylaws that go beyond provincial regulations, with exceptions that do not cover safe practices. Knack also wants sanctions that would stop builders from closing a company and starting a new one to keep breaking the rules. He claims the new powers would let the City deal with many of the issues raised by infill opponents over the past two years. Williams said he had received Knack's pitch and was considering it.
The City of Edmonton will close the High Level Bridge in 2027 for rehabilitation, a year earlier than planned, after heavy storms this past summer created the need for urgent repairs. Work will include repairs to bearings, substructure components, deck surfaces, and structural drainage, along with removing a column in the middle of the west sidewalk. Sara Nichols, Deputy City Manager of Infrastructure Services, said combining the urgent repairs with the planned rehabilitation will reduce the total duration and number of closures. The bridge will be fully closed to traffic during construction, with pedestrian access maintained where possible. It carries approximately 24,000 to 27,000 southbound vehicles a day, along with pedestrians, cyclists, and the High Level Bridge Streetcar. To reduce pressure on the transportation network, the rehabilitation of the northbound Low Level Bridge lanes has been moved from 2027 to 2028. Construction on a replacement bridge is currently expected to start in the late 2030s.
