Red Deerians can now have their say on how the city's budget will look in 2025.
As of May 27, the city has launched its online survey as well as participatory budget tools.
“With another challenging budget year ahead of us, it’s more important than ever that we hear from the community to understand what is important to citizens,” said Mike Olesen, General Manager of Growth and Finance. “Through our engagement, we hope to gain a better understanding of the municipal services that Red Deerians value most and how we can make sustainable funding decisions for these services.”
In a release, the city said it "continues to face financial pressures in 2025, with increasing costs and demand for high levels of services, combined with challenges of affordability."
Council approved a 6.15 per cent tax increase in 2024, which resulted in an increase of $9.3 million in tax revenues. With close to $16 million still needed to balance the budget, the remaining funds were taken from reserves.
“This year, our priority is to continue our focus on recovering our reserve balances while also balancing the current operating budget,” said Olesen. “To mitigate the impact to utility fees and property taxes, we are looking at ways we can reduce expenses, which may include changes to our services.”
For more info about Budget 2025, visit reddeer.ca/Budget2025.
