Taber tax dollars at work: Budget 2025

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Taber Times

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Nov. 18 special meeting of council to discuss the 2025 budget offered a peek into how the tax dollars of Taberites are put to work. The following is taken from the meeting agenda and council discussions, and explains the role of the departments that operate out of the Town office. The budgetary amounts going into the meeting were listed as ‘proposed.’

Utilities

 Utilities encompasses the water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, underground water distribution and collection infrastructure, and solid waste and recycling. The water utilities department consists of two main activities: the water treatment branch and the distribution and collection branch.

 The water treatment facility is responsible for ensuring safe drinking water to all. Sewage treatment is managed between two facilities: the BNR treatment plant and the sewage lagoons. Town treatment staff also manage Lantic’s certified wastewater treatment facility under contract.

 The distribution and collection branch manages the pressurized potable water distribution system. It is made up up of water meters, fire hydrants, pipe mains, valves, and residential/commercial/industrial services. The sanitary and storm water collection systems include similar components as well as the pipelines, manholes, pump stations, and sanitary outfalls. The storm water collection system also includes catch basins, drainage swales and ditches, and storm outfalls.

 Utilities also cover the solid waste and recycling collection and management. This year with the three-cart system, the program diverted over 65 per cent of materials (composed of organics and recycling material), substantially reducing landfill costs.

 Budget notes: Water, wastewater, and waste/recycling revenues are proposed to combine at about $10M, whereas expenses should total at over $9M. Salaries, wages and benefits combined are over $2.1M.

Engineering & Public Works

 The department designs, operates, and maintains the town’s infrastructure, specifically the roads and walks. It is responsible for infrastructure monitoring, condition assessment, planning/design/construction, and project management on capital works projects. It maintains roads, curbs and gutters, catch basins, storm water retention ponds, sidewalks, and walking trails. It does the traffic line painting, sweeping, plowing, sanding and salting, filling potholes, spray crack filling, grading, control of noxious weeds, traffic signs,and tree maintenance. It also cares for the cemetery grounds.

 Budget notes: Public works revenues $109,537, expenses $4,129,653. Salaries, wages and benefits $1,430,360.

Facilities & Energy Management

 Created in 2023 to centralize the maintenance and operation of the Town’s buildings under one department, FEM oversees contracted repairs, preventative/corrective/reactive maintenance of building envelopes, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. The department implements and operates the Town’s centralized asset management software system.

 Facilities prolongs the life of building components through annual maintenance and repairs of all facilities, and aims for cost-effective repairs. An additional objective is to implement energy efficient technology to facilities where feasible. It monitors facility energy performance to identify efficiencies and incorporate energy efficient technology for building maintenance.

 Budget notes: Property mgt. revenues $249,670, expenses $1,487,351. Salaries, wages and benefits $714,673.

Recreation

 The recreation department promotes activities, pastimes, and experiences; usually undertaken for leisure and producing well-being, enjoyment, relaxation, and satisfaction. The Town operates many publicly accessible indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, and Town staff implement a variety of programs in them. The rec department plays a role in many community events. The Town owns/operates and maintains over 350 acres of outdoor community parks and sports fields along with walking trails and the Trout Pond.

 Budget notes: Rec revenues $1,061,743, expenses $4,768,541. Salaries, wages and benefits $2,337,801.

Fire Department

 The fire department is composed of three full time chief officers and 33 paid-on-call firefighters. Its mission is to serve the community effectively and efficiently through the professional delivery of emergency response and services.

 The department’s core services focus on fire prevention and education to the public and citizens of Taber. In accordance with the Safety Codes Act, it performs inspections and investigates in determining the cause and origin of fires. The firefighters are trained to handle structure fires, auto extraction, farm extraction, water rescue, ice rescue, hazardous material incidents, high angle rope rescue, confined space incidents, wildland fires, first aid, and fire inspection and investigations

 It responds to 300-330 emergency calls annually. The fire hall manages the emergency operations centre in accordance with the Emergency Management Act.

 Budget notes: FD revenues $223,789, expenses $1,342,192. Salaries, wages and benefits $678,320.

Chief Administrative Officer

  The CAO is the administrative head of the municipality. The CAO ensures that the policies and programs of the municipality are implemented and advises and informs Council on the operation and affairs of the municipality, thus assisting Council in its policy and decision-making functions. As the leader of the organization, the CAO is also responsible for building a strong team to ensure organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

 The CAO’s office includes two managerial sections: administrative services and economic development. For budget narrative purposes, the administrative services and the economic development sections are reported separately.

 Budget notes: CAO revenues $90,000, expenses $755,268, Salaries, wages and benefits $448,144.

Administrative Services

 The department oversees the management of administrative support for the municipality in the areas of FOIPP coordination, advertising, communication, records management, bylaw and policy administration. The department is a main contributor to the “defining and practicing good governance” initiative found within the Town’s Strategic Plan.

 Budget notes: Revenues $114,981, expenses $233,480. Salaries, wages and benefits $125,679.

Council

 The democratically elected body that is charged with providing peace, order and good government in the Town of Taber. Its role and responsibilities, and the way it operates, are outlined in the Municipal Government Act. Council must also abide by other provincial and federal legislation. Council is composed of the mayor and six council members.

 Budget notes: Revenues $0, expenses $1,434,012. Salaries, wages and benefits $327,526. Transfers to local boards and agencies $771,792.

Economic Development

 Economic development is the process of developing, diversifying, and maintaining sustainable economic, social, and political environments in which balanced growth may be realized, increasing the wealth of the community.

 Budget notes: Revenues $3,069,000, expenses $745,471. Salaries, wages and benefits $241,437.

Finance and Customer Care

 This includes three separate functions: finance and customer care, HR and IT. Finance and Customer Care is responsible for the financial accounting and reporting requirements, financial planning and budgeting, revenue collection, debt and purchasing settlement, taxation and assessment, business licenses, and risk and asset management for the entire Town’s functions and departments. The department oversees the effective management of the public’s financial and physical resources, prioritizing residents’ best interests.

 Budget notes: Revenues $16,300, expenses $1,277,149. Salaries, wages and benefits $864,946.

Information Technology
Department

 IT provides a municipal computer network, security, hardware/software support and management, IT training, a VOIP telephone system, a wireless system, and online resources for both staff and the public to use. As its mandate, the department is to provide infrastructure, guidance, support, and innovation in the delivery of secure, enterprise-grade information technology products and services.

 Budget notes: Revenues $15,568, expenses $1,391,183. Salaries, wages and benefits $455,802.

Human Resources

 HR reports to the director of corporate services and looks after the hiring and training of Town personnel. It plays a key role in negotiating and overseeing collective agreements, which includes a labor management component. HR manages the Town’s benefits program, disability management program, and the health and safety officer for the municipality.

 Budget notes: Revenues $0, expenses $361,832. Salaries, wages and benefits $233,547.