This week, council will make adjustments to the city's operating budget, look at a rezoning in Windsor Park, and discuss supportive housing projects at risk of losing funding.
There is a city council public hearing meeting scheduled for April 22 and a city council meeting scheduled for April 23 and 24. There is a special city manager and city auditor performance evaluation committee meeting on April 26.
Here are key items on the agenda:
- Administration recommends 2024 property taxes to increase by 8.7% in the spring operating budget adjustment. That's 2.1% higher than what council approved last November, during the fall adjustment. City administration also recommends raising property taxes by 7% for 2025 and 6.4% for 2026, compared to the 5.3% and 4.7%, respectively, which council approved last fall. Stacey Padbury, Edmonton's chief financial officer, said expenses have grown faster than expected, but staff now have a "much better sense" of how much costs will increase in the future. Council is scheduled to debate the proposed budget adjustment at a council meeting on April 23 and 24. Previously, city council asked administration to find $60 million to cut from the budget and $240 million that could be moved toward council priorities — a process referred to as OP12. Council is set to decide on these changes this week. The proposed budget also includes $100,000 in 2024 and $146,000 in 2025 to establish a sergeant-at-arms position at city hall. This follows the Jan. 24 attack.
- Westrich Pacific Corp. has applied to rezone a parcel containing three single-family homes in Windsor Park, near the University of Alberta. The rezoning, if approved, would allow for a building of up to six storeys with a minimum of 19 housing units. Some neighbours oppose the development, including many who say that it does not align with land-use guidelines, that the building is too large, and that the neighbourhood is already experiencing enough densification. Council has recently approved three buildings of between four and 11 storeys in the southwest corner of Windsor Park, but administration said it supports this application as it is near the university and can help provide additional housing.
- City council needs to approve construction on two supportive housing projects or risk losing out on funding from other levels of government, according to city administration. In March 2023, council directed administration to apply for federal funding for three supportive housing developments in Holyrood, Canora, and Garneau. The province also provided $10.6 million for the developments, according to a report set to be discussed at a city council meeting on April 23. Only the Holyrood development was successful in securing federal funds. Administration said the provincial funding for the Canora and Garneau projects is at risk if the city doesn't start construction. The price tag to build the two projects is $33.4 million. About $22 million would come from an existing affordable housing fund, and administration would access the rest from funds held in abeyance. This was discussed at an executive committee meeting on April 10 where the committee recommended starting construction.
City council is set to tackle the spring operating budget adjustment on April 23. (Mack Male/Flickr)
Here are some other items on the agenda:
- The Edmonton Police Service's reserve fund fell into a deficit position of $1.1 million in 2023, according to a report council will discuss at a meeting on April 23. Each year, any police budget surplus must be placed in the reserve and any deficit must be drawn from that reserve. If the reserve falls into a deficit, it must be replenished within three years. The Edmonton Police Commission recommends the deficit be replenished by managing operating expenditures.
- Coun. Michael Janz is set to ask administration to amend the business bylaw so that short-term rental owners are required to remain on the property when it is being used as a short-term rental. The proposed rule is similar to upcoming changes to British Columbia's short-term rental rules, which will require the rental to be the owner's principal residence. The B.C. government said the rules will hopefully discourage homes from being rented out through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, and instead return them to the long-term rental market. Janz plans to introduce the motion during a council meeting on April 23.
- Three reports from previous committee meetings are set to be discussed at the city council meeting on April 23. They are a report outlining social services offered in the city's core, a report with options for an assisted snow-clearing program, and a report with the City of Edmonton's consolidated financial statements. Council is also set to vote on amendments to the business licence bylaw to replace the word "exotic" with "erotic" when referencing adult services. Administration said the word "exotic" has racist undertones and isn't used in the industry. The amended bylaw would also allow cannabis stores to stay open from 9am to 2am and allow the city to ask accredited massage therapy associations for information about its members.
Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.