Calgary,
14
September
2022
|
18:11
America/Denver

City Administration presents a preview of the proposed 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets to Council

Calgary is a great place to live, work, visit, grow and raise a family – and over the next four years, we’ll continue to deliver the services you rely on while making improvements in our city to make it even better.

Through our commitment to optimizing the value of every dollar, we are able to advance Council’s Strategic Direction and improve the services that we have heard are important to Calgarians while keeping our costs in line with population growth and inflation. In our preview of the proposed 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets presented to Council today, we have undertaken a thoughtful analysis of many inputs, reviewed our resources collectively and distributed them to deliver the highest service value to Calgarians.

"The investments we've proposed today will further our economy, city-building, community supports, public safety and anti-racism programs, enable investment and innovation in the business community, and reduce climate risk. And that's just the beginning," says City Manager David Duckworth. "We'll continue to deliver the services that Calgarians count on every day, while responsibly investing public funds that result in long-term benefits for our city."

Some of the highlights included:

  • Supporting those impacted by complex social issues like poverty, homelessness, mental health and addictions, along with tackling barriers for people with disabilities, by convening and coordinating with our partners.
  • Modernizing our buses and CTrains, improving their service levels, enhancing public safety on transit and investing in bus rapid transit development.
  • Continuing to remove barriers for business success, enabling businesses to start, grow and invest in our city.
  • Taking action on Truth and Reconciliation, investing in affordable housing and providing accessible and equitable programs and services.
  • Continuing to implement the Downtown Strategy, while making investments in public safety, placemaking and enhancing downtown vibrancy.
  • Investing in hosting and hospitality, including festivals and events, and supporting our partners.
  • Implementing a new Land Use Bylaw and launching additional local area plans.
  • Global positioning and reputation, including proactive communication, building relationships with Indigenous partners and investments in climate and innovation.
  • An estimated $4.4 billion on new capital investments including the Bridgeland Place affordable housing project, four new fire stations, electrification of select City buses and vehicles, and enhanced measures for flood resiliency.

In March, City Administration received strategic direction from Council. This guides the development of initiatives, strategies and performance measures for the 2023-2026 plans.

Economic, social and climate resilience guide our decisions which advance the quality of life of Calgarians. By aligning community indicators and trends data with these foundations and monitoring the results, we will understand how the community is doing in these areas and where The City can contribute and work with partners to advance change.

“Today’s proposal strikes a balance between maintaining affordability and keeping pace with inflation and population growth,” said Carla Male, Chief Financial Officer at The City of Calgary. “With household expenditures increasing an average of 7.4 per cent in Alberta this year we are working hard to maintain affordability by keeping the projected increase in City expenditures as low as possible. I’m confident that the plans and budgets we’re creating will provide the best possible service value for Calgarians while striving to keep taxes affordable, as we’ve always done.”

This proposal is not final; Council will be deliberating and deciding on our plans and budgets in the month of November. But before that, there are still opportunities for Calgarians to provide their input. They can tell us more about what City services are important to them by answering eight questions at engage.calgary.ca/YourServices. Calgarians can also provide written feedback to Council or register to speak with members of Council on Nov. 21 at calgary.ca/PublicSubmission.

For more information, please visit calgary.ca/YourServices. 

-30-