Your property taxes are increasing to supplement provincial services
The Alberta government is responsible for many services in communities, like healthcare and affordable housing. Sometimes, people in a community want better services than what the province provides.
Hearing concerns about provincial services can push council to help maintain or improve life in their community, often by spending local money, raised through municipal property taxes, on services that are usually the province’s job.
Other times, reduced funding from the province is the issue and councils have felt the need to fill the gap:
- Despite stagnant funding from the Alberta government, many municipalities in Alberta have seen the need to increase their spending on Family and Community Support Services programs to help families in need.
- Many provincial services are run by local non-profit organizations. If the Alberta government cuts its funding to one of your local organizations, they will often ask their council for money who will feel the pressure to step in to keep that service in their community. es in Okotoks:
Here are some local examples of where municipal funds are supplementing provincial services:
