2022 City of Wetaskiwin Budget

Consultation has concluded

City Manager Sue Howard at her desk.


Wetaskiwin City Council Approves 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 (Wetaskiwin, Alberta) – Following budget deliberations and the finalization of the 2022 municipal budget earlier this year, council approved the 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw 2016-22 at the regular May 24, 2022 council meeting.

The 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw results in a net municipal tax rate increase of 3.23 per cent for residential properties, and an increase of 3.35 per cent for non-residential properties.

“Council has worked hard to keep our municipal taxes as low as possible,” stated Mayor Tyler Gandam. “Changes to the RCMP contract significantly contributed to this year’s increase. While adjusting to level of service changes can sometimes be difficult, please know Council will continue monitoring how changes made impact the community.”

While the City had estimated a 3.99 per cent tax increase following the approval of the 2022 municipal budget in March, this was further reduced due to an increase in predicted growth from 0.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent. The total finalized assessment in 2022 for taxable, grant-in- lieu, and municipal properties is $1,333,038,920. The overall increase in assessment of $17,389,260 from 2021 can be attributed to:

  • Farmland – There was a decrease due to growth and inflation of $282,790, mostly due to the change in farmland to market value for a few parcels.
  • Non-Residential – There was growth of $896,680 due to new development and inflation of $8,091,140, resulting in an overall increase of $8,987,820.
  • Non-Residential Designated Industrial Property – There was a growth of $9,530.
  • Non-Residential Linear – There was a growth of $662,020.
  • Residential – There was a growth of $6,222,610 and inflation of $1,837,010. Both increases were heavily influenced by new construction and inflation in multi-family residential.

City of Wetaskiwin 2022 Property Assessment Notices were mailed out to all property owners on March 17, 2022. Visit wetaskiwin.ca/assessment for more information.

Property Tax Notices will be mailed out to all property owners by the end of May 2022, with payment due by June 30, 2022. The property tax notice will include levies for education and senior foundation requisitions. The Tax Penalty Bylaw 1958-20 outlines penalties applied on current outstanding taxes as follows:

  • July 1, 2022 – A nine per cent (9%) penalty on any unpaid current tax levy.
  • October 1, 2022 – A six per cent (6%) penalty on any unpaid current tax levy.
  • January 1, 2023 – A fifteen per cent (15%) penalty on any unpaid tax balance.
Visit the Taxation & Assessment page on the City’s website for more information.



Council approves 2022 budget with 3.99 per cent tax increase

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 (Wetaskiwin, Alberta) — After four days of deliberations, an online public consultation, and two virtual open houses, council approved the 2022 Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets on March 28, 2022.

To provide an adequate level of service to citizens during a period of rising costs with minimal growth in assessment, Council has approved an increase in the tax requirement of 3.99 per cent for 2022.

The municipality continues to face challenges from costs downloaded by both the provincial and federal governments. These downloaded costs accounted for 3.47 per cent ($555,960) of the total increase, requiring additional spending in the following areas:

  • Increased pay for RCMP members due to contract negotiations for member remuneration resulted in a $466,860 increase in the 2022 budget for the City’s RCMP contract.
  • Increased annual cost of $35,100 due to the provincial government's implementation of a chargeback model for the provincial portion of the Biology Casework Analysis Agreements (BCAA).
  • Reduction in Grants in Place of Taxes from the Government of Alberta, which assists municipalities in the cost of providing municipal service, will cost the City $54,000 for 2022.

“Council’s commitment to running as efficiently as possible, while still providing a good level of service, was the focus of 2022’s budget deliberations,” said Mayor Tyler Gandam. “Increases to costs outside of our control were a big part of this year’s increase to the tax rate.”

Council approved the additional 0.52 per cent of the increase to balance the 2022 operating budget, which will benefit citizens as preventative maintenance projects can continue and will extend the useful life of our infrastructure.

From the more than $5.5 million approved in the capital budget, $1.8 million will be allocated to items that require immediate maintenance in many of the City’s facilities, as identified by the Facilities Assessment Report that was completed by Associated Engineering in 2019.

The remaining $3.7 million of allocated funds will be used for:

  • Roadway reconstruction.
  • Asphalt overlays.
  • Line marking.
  • Sidewalk rehabilitation and connector projects.
  • Boulevard rehabilitation.
  • Alberta First Responders Radio Communications.

The municipal budget is an important policy document approved by council. It is developed and approved annually to finance the delivery of programs and services to the community according to council-specified service levels. Preparation of the corporate budget is one of the most critical initiatives undertaken by Administration as it acts as the fiscal plan that provides the resources required to make progress towards achieving Wetaskiwin's Fifty-Year Community Vision and Council's strategic priorities.

2022 Budget Schedule
Jan. 17 to Jan. 31, 2022Explore the City budget through the virtual budget balancing tool and share your feedback.
*This is now closed*
Jan. 26, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.Virtual budget open house (hosted through Zoom).
Jan. 28, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.Virtual budget open house (hosted through Zoom).
Feb. 28 & Mar. 13, 2022Council deliberates the 2022 proposed budget.
Zoom links to be posted soon. Keep checking back.
March 28, 2022Anticipated approval date of the 2022 municipal budget.
May 24, 2022Council approved 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw.

Check out the FAQ section on the right-hand side, or ask us a question in the Q&A tab below. You can also get in on any discussions happening in the Forum Discussion tab. If there isn't already a discussion topic for the item you're wanting more information on, start your own!

The 2022 Municipal Budget Public Engagement Results report is now available for residents to view.

2022 Budget Deliberation & Approval Recordings
February 28, 2022 Part One
February 28, 2022 Part Two
March 2, 2022
March 13, 2022
March 28, 2022
May 24, 2022 - Council Approves 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw



Wetaskiwin City Council Approves 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 (Wetaskiwin, Alberta) – Following budget deliberations and the finalization of the 2022 municipal budget earlier this year, council approved the 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw 2016-22 at the regular May 24, 2022 council meeting.

The 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw results in a net municipal tax rate increase of 3.23 per cent for residential properties, and an increase of 3.35 per cent for non-residential properties.

“Council has worked hard to keep our municipal taxes as low as possible,” stated Mayor Tyler Gandam. “Changes to the RCMP contract significantly contributed to this year’s increase. While adjusting to level of service changes can sometimes be difficult, please know Council will continue monitoring how changes made impact the community.”

While the City had estimated a 3.99 per cent tax increase following the approval of the 2022 municipal budget in March, this was further reduced due to an increase in predicted growth from 0.5 per cent to 0.7 per cent. The total finalized assessment in 2022 for taxable, grant-in- lieu, and municipal properties is $1,333,038,920. The overall increase in assessment of $17,389,260 from 2021 can be attributed to:

  • Farmland – There was a decrease due to growth and inflation of $282,790, mostly due to the change in farmland to market value for a few parcels.
  • Non-Residential – There was growth of $896,680 due to new development and inflation of $8,091,140, resulting in an overall increase of $8,987,820.
  • Non-Residential Designated Industrial Property – There was a growth of $9,530.
  • Non-Residential Linear – There was a growth of $662,020.
  • Residential – There was a growth of $6,222,610 and inflation of $1,837,010. Both increases were heavily influenced by new construction and inflation in multi-family residential.

City of Wetaskiwin 2022 Property Assessment Notices were mailed out to all property owners on March 17, 2022. Visit wetaskiwin.ca/assessment for more information.

Property Tax Notices will be mailed out to all property owners by the end of May 2022, with payment due by June 30, 2022. The property tax notice will include levies for education and senior foundation requisitions. The Tax Penalty Bylaw 1958-20 outlines penalties applied on current outstanding taxes as follows:

  • July 1, 2022 – A nine per cent (9%) penalty on any unpaid current tax levy.
  • October 1, 2022 – A six per cent (6%) penalty on any unpaid current tax levy.
  • January 1, 2023 – A fifteen per cent (15%) penalty on any unpaid tax balance.
Visit the Taxation & Assessment page on the City’s website for more information.



Council approves 2022 budget with 3.99 per cent tax increase

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 (Wetaskiwin, Alberta) — After four days of deliberations, an online public consultation, and two virtual open houses, council approved the 2022 Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets on March 28, 2022.

To provide an adequate level of service to citizens during a period of rising costs with minimal growth in assessment, Council has approved an increase in the tax requirement of 3.99 per cent for 2022.

The municipality continues to face challenges from costs downloaded by both the provincial and federal governments. These downloaded costs accounted for 3.47 per cent ($555,960) of the total increase, requiring additional spending in the following areas:

  • Increased pay for RCMP members due to contract negotiations for member remuneration resulted in a $466,860 increase in the 2022 budget for the City’s RCMP contract.
  • Increased annual cost of $35,100 due to the provincial government's implementation of a chargeback model for the provincial portion of the Biology Casework Analysis Agreements (BCAA).
  • Reduction in Grants in Place of Taxes from the Government of Alberta, which assists municipalities in the cost of providing municipal service, will cost the City $54,000 for 2022.

“Council’s commitment to running as efficiently as possible, while still providing a good level of service, was the focus of 2022’s budget deliberations,” said Mayor Tyler Gandam. “Increases to costs outside of our control were a big part of this year’s increase to the tax rate.”

Council approved the additional 0.52 per cent of the increase to balance the 2022 operating budget, which will benefit citizens as preventative maintenance projects can continue and will extend the useful life of our infrastructure.

From the more than $5.5 million approved in the capital budget, $1.8 million will be allocated to items that require immediate maintenance in many of the City’s facilities, as identified by the Facilities Assessment Report that was completed by Associated Engineering in 2019.

The remaining $3.7 million of allocated funds will be used for:

  • Roadway reconstruction.
  • Asphalt overlays.
  • Line marking.
  • Sidewalk rehabilitation and connector projects.
  • Boulevard rehabilitation.
  • Alberta First Responders Radio Communications.

The municipal budget is an important policy document approved by council. It is developed and approved annually to finance the delivery of programs and services to the community according to council-specified service levels. Preparation of the corporate budget is one of the most critical initiatives undertaken by Administration as it acts as the fiscal plan that provides the resources required to make progress towards achieving Wetaskiwin's Fifty-Year Community Vision and Council's strategic priorities.

2022 Budget Schedule
Jan. 17 to Jan. 31, 2022Explore the City budget through the virtual budget balancing tool and share your feedback.
*This is now closed*
Jan. 26, 2022 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.Virtual budget open house (hosted through Zoom).
Jan. 28, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.Virtual budget open house (hosted through Zoom).
Feb. 28 & Mar. 13, 2022Council deliberates the 2022 proposed budget.
Zoom links to be posted soon. Keep checking back.
March 28, 2022Anticipated approval date of the 2022 municipal budget.
May 24, 2022Council approved 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw.

Check out the FAQ section on the right-hand side, or ask us a question in the Q&A tab below. You can also get in on any discussions happening in the Forum Discussion tab. If there isn't already a discussion topic for the item you're wanting more information on, start your own!

The 2022 Municipal Budget Public Engagement Results report is now available for residents to view.

2022 Budget Deliberation & Approval Recordings
February 28, 2022 Part One
February 28, 2022 Part Two
March 2, 2022
March 13, 2022
March 28, 2022
May 24, 2022 - Council Approves 2022 Tax Rate Bylaw


Consultation has concluded

Do you have a question about the 2022 proposed City of Wetaskiwin budget?

It can be about the process or about a specific budget item. We're here to help so you can provide City Council with your informed feedback! You can ask your question publicly or privately.

If you would feel more comfortable sending us an email with your question, you can send it to haveyoursay@wetaskiwin.ca.

Visit A Balancing Act from January 17 to 31, 2022 to provide feedback on the initial proposed budget. Your feedback will directly inform Council's decisions on the 2022 proposed budget.

Want to start a conversation? Visit the Forum Discussion tab!