With Airdrie’s population growing by thousands each year, the City Council has proposed a 2025 budget which officials say aims to keep up with demands for services, public safety, and recreational facilities, all while making room for future infrastructure needs.
With a $228.7 million operating budget and a $175.1 million capital budget, this plan addresses many key areas for residents, including safety, transit, and new recreational facilities.
Related Stories:
City officials expect deliberations in November when the Council will finalize decisions impacting taxes, utility rates, and service levels for the year ahead.
Key points of the 2025 budget proposal
In response to steady growth, the budget includes a proposed 7.5 per cent tax increase to cover inflation and essential services—though it has been previously noted that this number is only a starting point for budget deliberations.
This increase, projected to raise an additional $6.2 million, equates to an estimated average annual increase of $215 per household or $178 in municipal taxes and $37 in utility rates. This additional revenue will support services, maintain public facilities, and fund key community initiatives.
Financial strategy: Balancing needs and costs
The proposed tax adjustment of 7.5 per cent for 2025 is divided to address both service maintenance and infrastructure needs. Specific allocations include:
- Municipal services (4.2 per cent): These funds support core services such as fire and police, road maintenance, and community programs.
- Capital investments (3.3 per cent): These funds are directed towards infrastructure improvements, road and water system maintenance, and long-term projects such as the Southwest Recreation Centre.
To ensure the budget reflects the community's needs, the City Council followed a multi-step approach: prioritizing community safety, maintaining essential services, and investing in infrastructure to accommodate Airdrie’s rapid growth. The budget incorporates feedback from residents who expressed concerns over crime, demand for recreation facilities, and transportation improvements.
Major Spending Areas
Making Airdrie safer: Policing and community safety
The 2025 budget sets aside $1.1 million for the RCMP Policing Agreement, accounting for salary adjustments and support costs for the RCMP staff assigned to Airdrie. Additionally, $228,000 is allocated to hire a new RCMP officer, responding to residents’ calls for increased patrols and a proactive approach to community safety. The community survey's public safety concerns were key feedback areas, particularly around disorderly behaviour and vandalism.
Better transit and more accessible commutes
In 2025, $374,000 is earmarked to support transit services, including adjustments for local fixed routes and the downtown commuter service. This increase in funding will accommodate contract rate adjustments and service expansions. Additionally, $351,000 is dedicated to enhanced transit service levels, restoring fixed routes to pre-pandemic levels and increasing daily regional services to address commuter demand. Plans include investments to improve transit infrastructure and access for residents.
Upkeep and expansion for a growing city
The budget allocates $908,000 for debt repayments from prior infrastructure investments, including fire radios, fire rescue units, and the city’s land acquisition strategy. For ongoing maintenance, $513,000 is set aside for city assets, including road repairs, janitorial services, and transit fleet maintenance. Community feedback emphasized the importance of road quality and timely maintenance, which was included in this year’s budget under 'Growth Plus Inflation.'
Public services and utility costs
Operating services for utilities, including water, sewer, and waste management, are also included in the budget to meet expanding demand. Energy costs for natural gas and electricity are expected to increase by $938,000 in 2025, reflecting annual fee adjustments from ATCO Gas and Fortis Alberta. Additionally, $770,000 will be returned to the tax base from the utility fund, offsetting part of the operating budget and helping stabilize tax-supported services. The budget includes plans to offset rising costs with user fee adjustments for building permits, municipal services, and recreation.
Staffing and wage adjustments
With a population growth rate outpacing many neighbouring municipalities, Airdrie is proposing an increase of 26.4 full-time equivalents (FTE) positions across city departments to support demand. Wages, adjusted for cost-of-living increases (COLA), add $1.3 million, with a further $745,000 allocated for union salaries as stipulated in union agreements. Additionally, benefits for city staff will see adjustments totalling $536,000 to cover overtime, Workers Compensation Board (WCB) premiums, and employment insurance increases.
Recreation and community facilities
The budget proposal includes funding for several community projects:
- Southwest Recreation Centre: The center is set for construction as part of a broader vision for increased recreational access in Airdrie’s southwest area. Residents strongly desired more recreation facilities, dog parks, and expanded natural regions of the city’s annual survey.
- Inspire Facility: Scheduled to open in 2025, this multi-use facility will provide Airdrie with much-needed space for community events, recreational activities, and cultural programs. Inspire will also include rooms for audiovisual production to accommodate community content creators. Funding from the 2025 budget will help prepare the facility for public use, ensuring it meets accessibility and community requirements.
- Parks and Public Spaces: With $1.7 million allocated for parks and green space maintenance, residents will continue to have access to the city’s extensive pathways, playgrounds, and parkland.
Capital projects: Building Airdrie’s future
Looking towards long-term development, the proposed capital budget prioritizes infrastructure improvements and strategic growth projects. The City of Airdrie expects to reach a population of 100,000 by 2027, requiring substantial investments to maintain quality of life. Key projects include:
- Yankee Valley Boulevard Underpass: Designed to alleviate traffic congestion, this project will improve traffic flow along a vital commuter route. The underpass addresses one of the city’s top concerns, as residents voiced a need for better road infrastructure to manage growing traffic volumes.
- Veterans Boulevard Overpass: Additional road infrastructure projects, like the Veterans Boulevard overpass, will support smoother connections across Airdrie, meeting the demands of a growing residential and business community.
The budget also includes provisions for land development, water, and sewer projects needed to sustain future growth.
Resident feedback and priorities
Engagement with Airdrie residents and businesses was a significant factor in shaping the 2025 budget proposal. Feedback was gathered through surveys and public consultations, with respondents highlighting protective services, public safety, and recreation as their top priorities. Key takeaways include:
- Public safety: High concerns over vandalism and disorderly behaviour prompted requests for more community policing, increased RCMP visibility, and expanded youth outreach programs.
- Recreation and culture: Residents requested additional recreational facilities, increased dog parks, and the preservation of natural spaces.
- Transportation: Survey respondents highlighted the demand for improved transit options, road congestion relief, and expanded handicap parking options near residential areas.
Based on this feedback, the City Council aligned significant portions of the proposed budget to address these areas, including police funding, recreational projects, and transit improvements.
Airdrie’s fiscal strategy: Sustainability and community growth
Airdrie’s budgeting process relies on zero-based budgeting principles, meaning each dollar is allocated based on specific needs and reviewed annually to justify every expense. The city’s three primary revenue sources include user fees, franchise fees, and taxes. With increasing costs and population growth, the Council aims to balance the budget while minimizing the tax burden on residents. A comparison with other Alberta municipalities shows Airdrie residents benefit from relatively low property tax rates. In 2024, Airdrie’s average household tax contribution was $2,373, significantly lower than similar cities.
Additionally, the budget includes contributions to reserve funds:
- Operating Reserves: $60.9 million will be reserved for emergency funding and stabilization.
- Capital Reserves: $23.9 million is dedicated to infrastructure repairs, replacements, and long-term city assets.
- Utility Reserves: An estimated $27 million will cover water, sewer, and waste management needs.
Preparing for deliberations
The City Council will meet in November for a multi-day budget review to finalize rates and allocations. During these sessions, Council members will assess all proposed spending areas, potential adjustments to user fees, and the impact of new initiatives on residents and businesses.
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@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM.
DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.
