Council approves 2025 interim operating budget

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When Taber town council met on Dec. 16, it reviewed the 2025 interim operating budget under the guidance of CFO John Orwa. The interim budget will serve as a stand-in for the final operating budget until the town’s property assessment values are tallied in the spring.

 Previously, the Town’s departmental heads had individualized their budgetary needs for 2025, but by mid-December the budgets had been amalgamated into one all-encompassing balance sheet for council. It went as far as making projections for the years 2026 to 2028.

 Orwa told council that the Municipal Government Act requires not only the upcoming year’s budget but a three-year projected budget to be in place. “That’s just a way of telling council that in the future, these are the deficits that are ahead of you, so we need to start strategizing how to mitigate some of those areas,” he said.

 Orwa went on to highlight some of the numbers, informing council that the 2025 budget is balanced without a stabilization fund. The net tax revenue, year over year, remained flat and the finance office did not increase anything in that column. Additionally, the budget has factored in the possibility of borrowing in the upcoming year and how those debts will be serviced.

 “Some due diligence has been done since you last saw this budget,” he said, noting that some areas had been reduced and others slightly increased in a way that offset to create balance.

 He focused on net taxes, saying, “At this point, we do not know exactly what the assessments are going to be in the coming year, but we do have some projections. I did speak to our assessor and I think this is something that you might like and might make people smile.”

 “When we look at the residential side of taxes, we are going to see over 12 per cent in growth. When we get to the non-residential, the projection there is also very good; we are seeing almost a 17 per cent increase,” he said. “The other good news is the downtown core is going to see a significant increase in sales as well.”

 The most substantial increases in the budget were associated with salaries, budgeted at $15 million. Orwa said he expected further discussion on the topic, but none followed immediately. The meeting agenda explained that salaries and wages make up approximately 47 per cent of the total expenses. The projected increases across the board were due to an increase in the renewal rates from the benefit provider, step and annual increases, and the addition of a 27th pay period.

 Instead, Orwa was asked about investment income, reserves revenue, and fines revenue. With fines projected at $255,000 –even in the absence of photo radar– the revenue is still significant.

 A motion to approve the interim budget was carried, The final 2025 operating budget will come back to council in April when the administration has the property assessment values.