TAMRMS#: B06
9.1
REQUEST FOR DECISION
title
2025 Municipal and Utility Budget
Presented by: Suzanne Findlay, Manager, Financial Services, Financial & Strategic Services
label
RECOMMENDED MOTION(S)
recommendation
1. That the 2025 Consolidated Municipal and Utility Budget in the amount of $404,834,000 with a Net Tax Requirement of $141,608,500 provided as attachment titled “2025 Approved Consolidated Municipal & Utility Budget” be approved.
2. That the 2025 10 Year Municipal Growth Capital Plan provided as attachment titled “10 Year Municipal Growth Capital Plan” be approved.
3. That the 2025 10 Year Utility Growth Capital Plan provided as attachment titled “10 Year Utility Growth Capital Plan” be approved.
4. That the 2025 Municipal RMR Capital Charter COMS-001 Community Capital Grant Program be increased by $11,000.
body
SUMMARY
This report presents the 2025 Municipal and Utility budgets, as recommended by Committee of the Whole, for Council’s review and approval.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
On June 4, 2024, Council passed the following motions:
PM-25-005- That the 2025 10 Year Municipal RMR Capital plan provided as an attachment to the June 4, 2024 agenda report be approved
PM-25-006 - That the 10 Year Utility RMR Capital Plan provided as an attachment to the June 4, 2024 Agenda Report be approved.
On November 24, 2024 Council approved the following motion:
AR-24-591- That Administration prepare the 2025 proposed Municipal and Utility Operating Budgets, the proposed Municipal & Utility Capital Budgets and any associated bylaws, in accordance with the direction provided in the November/December Committee of the Whole deliberations and previous Repair, Maintenance & Replacement (RMR) decisions and Fees & Charges decisions, all for consideration by Council on December 17, 2024.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Each year, Council approves a budget to provide required resources to deliver its programs and services to the community and a capital budget to provide required resources to maintain existing infrastructure and to support future capital initiatives.
An additional item requiring Council approval is an increase to the Community Capital program budget to reflect the population update from the latest census data. As the municipal census was done after the approval of the 2025 Capital RMR projects, the increase from $254,000 to $265,000 is required to comply with Council Policy C-CC-23 Civic Granting which indicates that the civic funding envelope is based on population.
The 2025 Consolidated budget of $404,834,000 includes:
• 26 Municipal RMR Capital projects in the amount of $35,496,200.
• 15 Municipal Growth Capital projects in the amount of $83,486,100.
• 15 Operating Business cases in the amount of $1,430,000 funded from Assessment Growth and 1 Business case in the amount of $200,000 funded from reserve as presented in the attachment titled “2025 Municipal Business Cases”.
• Municipal operating budget in the amount of $216,061,200.
• 8 Utility RMR Capital projects in the amount of $15,068,700.
• 1 Utility Growth Capital project in the amount of $123,500.
• Utility operating budget in the amount of $54,598,300.
This results in a municipal net tax requirement of $141,608,500 which equates to an average property tax increase of 3.6%. The Utility budget results in an average utility bill increase of 7.2%.
Administration will report back to Council in Q2 2025 with any required budget adjustments due to new information or emerging issues prior to the finalization of the tax rate bylaw.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
An online 2025 Proposed Budget Survey was held from October 22 to November 7 with input from 104 respondents.
IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
Approval of the 2025 Consolidated Budget will result in an overall increase of approximately 3.6% in municipal property taxes and a 7.2% increase in the average residential utility bill.
Approval of the 2025 Consolidated Capital Budget will result in $134.2 million of planned projects.
Compliance & Legal:
The Municipal Government Act provides that Council must adopt an operating budget and capital budget for each calendar year by January 1 of that calendar year (ss.242 and 245).
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
None at this time.
Risks
None at this time.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
N/A
ALIGNMENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY
Financial Planning
Stewardship of development of annual operating and capital budgets for Municipal and Utility operations.
The approved operating and capital budgets shall serve as the financial plan for the City and provide Administration with the direction and resources necessary to accomplish Council’s strategic direction and Council approved services and service levels in accordance with the Services and Service Levels Inventory
IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
N/A
body
Report Date: December 17, 2024
Author(s): Suzanne Findlay
Department: Financial & Strategic Services
Department Director: Anne Victoor
Managing Director: Diane McMordie
Chief Administrative Officer: Bill Fletcher