On April 28, 2025, Sylvan Lake Council approved the 2025 Budget with a zero per cent core municipal tax rate increase. This was made possible by assessment values that were much greater than the estimate in the draft budget.
Here are some common questions answered by council and administration.
What is a core municipal tax rate?
- Does not include:
- Alberta School Foundation Fund (provincial education tax)
- Seniors’ housing requisitions
- Recreation and transportation levies set by the Town of Sylvan Lake
- Set annually: Every year the core rate is set by the municipal council during budget approval
- Applies to all properties: Applied to both residential and non-residential property classes (often at different rates)
- Supports: Covers service costs such as roads, parks, fire protection, policing, administration, and other community services
Why are my taxes higher than the core rate?
- The core tax rate does not include the:
- Recreation or transportation levy
- Education tax (set by the Province of Alberta and collected by the town)
- Sylvan Lake Seniors Lodge Tax (set by the Lodge foundation and collected by the town)
Why do we use core tax rate increases instead of giving a total rate increase for everything?
- The core tax rate is where we make sure we have enough money to cover the basic costs of operating services for Sylvan Lake
- It’s the easiest way for us to show residents exactly what changed, that is within our control
- Because the town only collects, and does not set education or lodge tax, it’s important to separate them out
For more information visit the Sylvan Lake website.
With information from Sylvan Lake.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.