LiveWireCalgary: Calgary budget day 1- Emphasis on transit as citizens have their say

Day one of Calgary city council mid-cycle budget deliberations got underway with myriad specific expenditures brought up by the public.

Monday kicked off a potential five days budget deliberations, and administration started things off with an overview of this year’s proposed 3.6 per cent combined property tax increase.

Back in September, former City Chief Financial Officer Carla Male presented a preliminary budget that had the combined property tax rate set at 4.5 per cent. Thanks to a variety of measures, primarily driven by newfound investment income, city administration was able to pare that back to the original council-imposed 3.6 per cent.

The City of Calgary’s Chief Administrative Officer, David Duckworth said there’s a difficult job ahead this week. He said they’ve provided city councillors with the information they need to find a balance between funding what’s important to citizens while remaining conscious of the fiscal restraints the city faces.

“Over the last while, we’ve heard loud and clear from Calgarians that infrastructure, housing, public safety, transit and the economy are top of mind, and I’m pleased that our priorities reflect the priorities of Calgarians,” he told councillors.

“Administration is proposing a 60% of our recommended new funding investments goes towards infrastructure and maintenance, a further 11 per cent to transit and four per cent to support public safety and downtown revitalization.”

Acting Chief Financial Officer Les Tocher said the presentation reflected the latest financial information, some of which wasn’t available when the budget was presented Nov. 5.

“I apologize for the delay and for the inconvenience to council and to members the public who were looking at these documents,” he said.

“Though the changes were important, the vast majority of the content remains as it was on November the fifth.”

Transit a big item

Of the roughly 50 speakers that presented during the public submission portion, a large contingent wanted the City to maintain support for the Low Income Transit Pass, but also expand funding for transit in general to improve mobility access for tens of thousands of Calgarians.

“I’m especially concerned about the potential underfunding of the low-income transit pass program,” said Abby Martin, a local business owner and member of the ACORN Calgary group.

“People using the low-income transit passes are a mix of Calgary’s disabled, Indigenous, elderly, young and poor population, many of which are dependent on this program for necessary appointments, school, work, etc. These people, often on a low or fixed income, arguably shouldn’t be the ones paying and footing the bill, especially when we seem to have plenty of money to spend on new arenas, beefing up police budgets and massive developments for commodity over the common good of the communities that make Calgary a beautiful place to live.”

Jakob Fushtey, chair of the advocacy group Calgary Transit Riders, urged investment in four areas, one of which was the low-income transit pass. He also encouraged the emphasis on critical infrastructure, transit-oriented development and more funding for buses to increase the City of Calgary’s service capacity.

“Every day across Calgary, people make their way to and from bus stops and LRT stations. They are your constituents,” he said.

“The healthcare worker catching the first bus of the day, the student trying to make it to class on time, the senior heading to a medical appointment, and the retail worker commuting back from their late evening shift. These Calgarians depend on transit not just to get around, but to contribute fully in our city’s economic and social life.”

More specific items also pressed at council

Both the Calgary Firefighters Association and the Calgary Police Association (CPA) presented during public submissions, stressing a commitment to safety in Calgary.

CPA President John Orr said the new gun range, which has come under scrutiny as money intended for the Community Safety Investment Framework was planned for use on the new facility, is “absolutely essential.”

“The current range has presented a health and safety risk to the police officers who work and train there for many years,” he said.

“In addition to the health and safety risks, the current range cannot handle the number of recruits needed in order for CPS to meet the recruiting goals.”

Other items, like traffic calming for city streets, not putting fluoride in the water to save millions, the Inglewood pool, and continued work on Calgary’s housing strategy were also items raised by the public.

Kathy Oberg from BNA and David White from CivicWorks, two development-related consultants, spoke on behalf of developers looking to expand work being done in the Belvedere area in east Calgary. They too were after upgrades to transportation in the area, including funding for the Memorial Drive and Stoney Trail flyover, and extension of the MAX Purple bus rapid transit line along 17 Avenue SE.

“It’s important that we balance redevelopment with cost-effective new development to balance the housing spectrum and prices,” said Oberg.

“It’s also important that we advance the development around areas that we’ve already invested in. The BRT is there, Stoney Trail is there, and all that employment on the east side.”

Once built out, the Belvedere area will contribute $80 million in annual tax revenue and there will be $700 million in development levies, Oberg said.

Public submissions wrapped up Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, Calgary city councillors will hear from the different department heads on their budgets. By Wednesday, Calgary city council will begin amendments and debate to finalize the 2025 budget.

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Article by Darren Krause for Livewire Calgary