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Red Deer council approves DBA budget

The 2025 budget includes a seven per cent levy increase
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The Red Deer Downtown Business Association's 2025 budget was approved by city council at a regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 2. (Advocate file photo)

Red Deer city council has unanimously approved the Downtown Business Association's 2025 budget, which includes a seven per cent levy increase for businesses.

The DBA's board of directors operates autonomously from the City of Red Deer, but council is responsible for approving the DBA's budget. To comply with provincial legislation, each year the DBA must present a budget for the Business Improvement Area (BIA) to city council for approval.

On Dec. 2, council approved the budget, which will be used as the basis for the BIA tax levy that the 400 or so businesses located within the BIA will pay.

"There's a great relief that council recognized the work the DBA does and the value it does in the community," said Amanda Gould, executive director of the Red Deer DBA.

"Any (levy) increase, regardless of size, is such a heavy decision to consider. I respect very much that they have given it so much thought and they are so engaged in what the DBA does and how it impacts the community we serve."

In October 2024, the city's legal and legislative services department received the DBA’s budget for 2025. In setting its yearly budget, the DBA considers a number of factors and develops a budget that complies with its own bylaws, procedures, regulations (including accounting based), organizations objectives, and environmental scan for things that may have an impact on finances or operations.

The seven per cent increase on the levy equates to $19,275, bringing the total levy to $297,000.

With the budget's approval, an amendment to the BIA Business Tax Bylaw will come forward to council at a future meeting. The minimum BIA levy in 2024 was $211.95.

Coun. Victor Doerksen, who serves as council's representative on the DBA board, says 2025's DBA budget is a "modest" one.

"I don't think we have any choice but to support this budget. It's a modest budget. ... Let's approve this budget knowing it's a transition year," Doerksen said.

Gould noted 2025 is expected to be a challenging year for the downtown.

"The DBA works exceptionally hard and truly values the money that comes from the levy in order to fund us to do the good work," she said.

"We 100 per cent have (the business') best interests at heart at every single moment of every single day. We recognize 2025 is a tough year (ahead) — it's another tough year for the downtown. But there is change coming and that change is going to benefit everybody."

Gould said an exciting DBA initiative in 2025 is the launch of a downtown Red Deer gift card, which she called "a key focus" moving forward.

"It will be a key part in generating revenue for the downtown and generally providing more opportunities to spend and have more reasons to visit the downtown," she said.



Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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