A BETTER DEAL FOR ALBERTA'S MUNICIPALITIES

Municipalities are responsible for providing many core services to their citizens. I believe Alberta’s municipalities need more control over the decision-making process for their citizens. This control must include taxes.

Municipalities need long-term, stable funding in order to create efficient local planning.

Right now, the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) is one source for funding municipalities.

·      Originally intended as a ten year 11.3 billion dollar program

·      Amounts can vary, which makes long-term planning quite difficult

·      My research indicates that after the first 5 years of a 10 year program, less than one

    third of the total 11.3 billion dollars has been received

Is there a better way? A Better Deal?

Why not support Public and Separate School students the same way as Private, Charter, and Francophone schools, while respecting their constitutional rights? Why not use the General Revenue Fund?

·      This year’s Education Property Tax will total an estimated 1.6 billion dollars. An 

     increase of 100 million dollars over two years.

·      That 1.6 billion would stay in the respective municipality

·      It would provide stable, predictable funding to mayors and city councilors planning for 

    the future – Also, there would be no political strings attached.

How much more money would be left with Alberta municipalities over ten years?

CALGARY	$6 020 000 000.00
EDMONTON	$3 336 000 000.00
LETHBRIDGE	$   260 000 000.00
ST. ALBERT	$   242 000 000.00
MEDICINE HAT	$   197 000 000.00

Where would the General Revenue Fund find 1.6 billion dollars?

·      Eliminating the MSI – this would save $866 million

·      Cutting the wasteful government spending; $500 million annually

·      Stretching the $17 billion capital plan from 3 years to 5 years

·      Revenues from bitumen and oil royalties are estimated to increase by $2 billion over 

    the next 2 years

This is a better deal for each council and each community to construct and maintain better bridges, roads, sewers and water systems, transit.

Municipalities have grown. It is time the province treated your cities and towns as true partners.