On the agenda: Taxes, budget, River Crossing

This week, council will discuss the drivers of tax increases, vote on increasing the budget for various capital projects, and consider approving the first phase of the River Crossing Community Development.

There is a community and public services committee meeting on April 13, an executive committee meeting on April 14, an urban planning committee meeting on April 14, and a city council meeting on April 15 and 17.

Here are some key items on the agenda:

• The four main factors driving tax increases in Edmonton are the increased cost of services, population growth, slower growth in non-tax revenue, and increased operating expenses linked to new services and capital projects, says a report set to be presented to council. Administration forecasts that if no more service packages or debt-serviced capital projects are approved, the city will need tax levy increases of 5.6% in 2027, 4.3% in 2028, 3.9% in 2029, and 3.7% in 2030. Council will continue to direct administration in creating the budget before deliberations in the fall.
• Council is set to vote on amendments to borrowing bylaws that adjust how much capital projects cost. If council supports the bylaws, the budget for the replacement of light rail vehicles will increase by $80.8 million to a total of $321.3 million, the budget for the design and delivery of ramps at 137 Avenue NW and Anthony Henday Drive will increase by $8.5 million to $15 million, and the budget for the downtown district energy initiative will increase by $18.4 million $54.3 million.
• Administration will ask council to approve $15 million to begin work on the first phase of the River Crossing Community Development, which would see the construction or rehabilitation of the roads north of Re/Max Field and the first steps toward housing development on the field's parking area. Executive committee considered the project last week and requisitioned the decision to council without a recommendation. Steve Hogle, fun advisor for the Edmonton Riverhawks, told Taproot the organization will trial a park-and-ride this season to prepare for potentially losing the lot next year.
• Council will vote on a motion from Coun. Michael Janz directing administration to bring forward two funding packages for bus rapid transit and wider sidewalks on Whyte Avenue to budget deliberations. It will also consider funding simultaneous improvements to the pedestrian realm along Whyte Avenue, which would involve removing some vehicle parking to make way for wider sidewalks. The motion also calls for an unfunded service package to advance transit priority measures across the city.
• Council will vote on a motion from urban planning committee recommending that city council direct administration to reinstate parking on 101 Street, from 107 Avenue to Kingsway, weekdays from 9:30am to 3:30pm.
• Members of the executive, urban planning, and community and public services committees will meet in private to receive governance updates from various boards and commissions.

Here are updates on some items we told you about last week:

• Council postponed debate on proposed amendments to the small-scale residential (RS) zone, small-medium scale residential zone, and small-medium scale transition residential zone to the April 27 public hearing. Council had time to hear from residents and developers about the proposed changes to the RS zone, with most speakers on either side expressing disappointment with the proposed changes.
• Administration said it could build a second facility on the site of the southeast transit garage to bring it up to capacity in a second phase, after it reduced the scope of the project from 430 buses to between 255 and 290 buses. The change means the garage could fill up within four years of opening, constraining the city's ability to buy more buses and expand transit service. Infrastructure committee asked for additional information, including the cost to build the facility to its original capacity, options for phased construction, an assessment of how the reduced capacity would impact transit service in the future, and a long-term financial comparison of building the larger facility today versus the projected costs of expanding the facility in the future. Coun. Erin Rutherford said she was disappointed in the scope change. "If you think about how long it's taken, from discussion to final operation of this transit garage, it's more than a decade in the works. So I'm very concerned about the fact we're going to again hit a pinch point in the future where we're not going to be able to expand our transit network."
• Council voted unanimously to allow changes to the Blatchford low- to medium-rise residential zone to change surface parking regulations. Administration said in its presentation that surface parking lots and parkades are already allowed in some zones in Blatchford. The lots must be screened from the street with landscaping or a built wall.
• Infrastructure committee requested a memo from administration that outlines funding models for the neighbourhood renewal program, accommodating for inflation and asset growth. The program's annual budget is about $159 million and does not account for inflationary factors. The memo will be sent to council before budget deliberations.
• Council approved a rezoning application that reduces the requirement for non-residential uses at the ground level for Westrich Pacific's development at 11412 76 Avenue NW.

Meetings stream live on YouTube on the Chamber channel and River Valley Room channel.

For more on various civic issues, including the proposed zoning changes, Edmonton's pitch for defence spending, and the latest batch of campaign finance disclosures listen to Episode 351 of Speaking Municipally.