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Airdrie council passed its 2025 tax rate bylaw Tuesday, approving a $27.90 monthly increase for the median single-family homeowner, including an $18.53 jump driven by the province’s education requisition.
"This is the largest year-over-year increase the City of Airdrie has ever experienced," council documents noted.
Roughly one-third of the total increase reflects the city’s municipal levy. The remainder stems from a 25 per cent requisition increase set by the Government of Alberta, which the city is required to collect on behalf of the province.
"It is what it is. None of us really love taxes," said Coun. Al Jones. "But the one thing that really jumps out at me through your presentation is the fact that, albeit that our tax increase is a little over $9 a month versus the provincial educational portion being over $18 a month. I would ask if there's a way to highlight that on the actual tax bill so that when they go ‘30 bucks a month, my bill went up,’ that they understand. I don't mind taking heat, but I really hate taking heat for something that we can't control — just to highlight that so they understand that that is a provincial contribution that we can't do anything about."
The city’s 2025 operating budget includes a $3.93 million increase in municipal tax revenue, resulting in a $9.37 monthly increase for the median single-family home. According to Treasury Manager Monica Labait, the education portion of the bill will increase by $18.53 for that same property — or $10.59 for the average residential condo.
"The average homeowner will experience an increase of $18.53 a month, and the average condo owner will see an increase of $10.59 a month for school taxes," Labait said.
She confirmed that the city’s tax notices have been modified to show a clearer breakdown between local and provincial charges.
"There’s a section that shows requisitions or provincial and city as well," she said. "It breaks down the actual rates for each of those. We’ve done our best to try and highlight the difference between the municipal side and the provincial side."
Deputy Mayor Candice Kolson said similar changes had been implemented in previous years to avoid confusion.
"I think it’s pretty straightforward on the bills that come... We made sure to make those adjustments," Kolson said. "People know it’s the Alberta education tax, so we will just continue to say that and put it on our bills so people understand."
Council passed all three readings of Bylaw B-11/2025 on May 6. The bylaw authorizes the city to collect $90,152,425 in general municipal taxation, covering municipal operations, debt repayment, capital investment, and transfers to reserves.
"It allows the municipality to levy the necessary funds to operate," Labait said.
Labait told council that property values in Airdrie have increased, allowing the city to reduce the tax rate and spread the burden across a broader assessment base. The median single-family home assessment rose from $556,000 to $614,000 in 2025. A residential condo saw a smaller increase, resulting in a $5.36 monthly municipal increase.
According to 2024 data presented to council, Airdrie homeowners paid more in municipal property tax than Calgary homeowners on homes assessed at the same value.
For a home assessed at $556,000, the average municipal tax bill in Airdrie was $2,373, compared to $2,337 in Calgary. Homeowners in Red Deer ($4,084), Medicine Hat ($3,772), St. Albert ($4,751), and Grande Prairie ($5,596) paid substantially more.
"A homeowner in Airdrie paid $2,373 in municipal taxes," Labait said. "In Grand Prairie, the homeowner would have paid more than double."
Airdrie’s commercial tax rates remain lower than those in larger municipalities. A property assessed at $850,000 would pay $7,619 in municipal tax in Airdrie. In Calgary, that same business would pay $15,608. In Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, the bills would be $15,895 and $19,263, respectively.
"This chart helps to demonstrate the tax advantage of having a home or a business located in Airdrie compared to other communities," Labait said.
The city’s 2025 total assessed property value is $19.79 billion, with residential property making up 88.08 per cent, up from 87.10 per cent in 2024. That shift continues to move a larger share of the tax burden onto homeowners.
In addition to the education requisition, council also levied amounts on behalf of the Rocky View Foundation and the Designated Industrial Property (DIP) program.
The Rocky View Foundation requisition is $1,262,562, down from the previous year despite a request to include an additional $163,000 reserve contribution.
"Even with this additional reserve amount, the overall requisition amount was smaller than the 2024 requisition that they asked for," Labait said.
The DIP requisition totals $8,137. It is mandated by the province to fund the cost of assessing linear infrastructure such as pipelines and telecommunications assets.
Council also approved the 2025 collection of the Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) — a special tax applied to the increased assessed value of properties within the downtown boundary. The CRL will raise $509,140 this year, up from $483,827 in 2024 and $270,205 in 2023.
"This allows the city to raise funds on the incremental increase in value to properties within the designated downtown boundary," Labait said. "These funds are used towards the revitalization of the downtown area."
Under provincial regulation, CRL rates must match or exceed the general tax rates for the same property class. Airdrie’s CRL framework was first approved by council in 2022 and applies to both municipal and education tax portions.
Tax notices will be mailed on May 29, barring any postal disruptions. Residents who have signed up for e-notifications will receive digital copies. Each bill will include a brochure explaining the breakdown of municipal and provincial tax rates.
"A tax brochure will be inserted with each tax notice," Labait said. "Information from the brochure will be available online."
The final provincial requisitions confirmed in the bylaw include:
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Alberta School Foundation Fund: $45,423,431
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Opted-Out School Boards: $4,445,555
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Designated Industrial Properties: $8,137
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Rocky View Foundation: $1,262,562
With the bylaw now passed, residents will see the changes reflected on their property tax notices, scheduled to be mailed May 29.
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