Grande Prairie City Council approved funding of the stormwater utility shortfall during their meeting held on Monday, April 22. 

In alignment with the requirements of the Municipal Government Act to maintain a balanced budget, City Council has decided to increase property taxes by 3.97 per cent for the 2024 fiscal year.

This amendment follows the 3.28 per cent tax increase approved in the 2024 budget, which assumed that operations and stormwater management costs would be separated from the existing municipal tax structure. Since this model was not adopted, the added increase is needed to recover those costs. 

To lessen the impact of the tax increase, Council has reallocated $2.2 million through various savings and strategic financial adjustments. These include:

• $1 million savings in the financial stabilization reserve
• $597,000 in surplus funds from the year-end of 2023
• $185,500 from Council’s Strategic Initiatives Fund
• $417,000 from the Operating Budget – Recreation Facility 

With these measures, the 3.97 per cent tax increase remains one of the lowest in the province compared to other municipalities in Alberta, including Calgary and Edmonton, and is the lowest increase on a 10-year average across the province.