City Council approves final 2022 budget adjustments

CALGARY - Today, after thorough deliberation, Council approved a municipal property tax rate increase of 3.87 per cent. The decision strikes a balance between strategic savings and critical investments and amounts to an additional $6.20 per month for the typical single residential property.

“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.”

Council approved important investments in the community, including advancements of the Climate Strategy and Action Plans; improved public safety, improved access to programs, improved maintenance, and healthier green spaces in parks; funding for affordable housing; improved snow and ice control; and others.

“The 2022 adjustments approved today respond to the evolving needs of citizens and businesses,” said City Manager David Duckworth. “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.”

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.

“Demand for our services remains high, our population is growing, and inflation is rising,” said Carla Male, Chief Financial Officer. “We continue to manage these factors while working hard to support citizens and businesses in a fiscally sustainable manner.”

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.

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

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