Edmonton city councillors begin budget deliberations – Edmonton [Video]

Faced with a proposal by city administrators to increase property taxes by 8.1 per cent in 2025, Edmonton city councillors began engaging in budget deliberations on Monday.

“We’re all focused on reducing taxes, (and) at the same time making sure that we continue to protect and invest in core municipal services,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.

The 8.1-per cent figure was proposed by administrators earlier this fall, but they have since proposed some ideas to councillors that could reduce that number, including increasing Epcor’s dividend to the city.

City council had already approved seven per cent of that proposed increase in April 2024 in order to maintain services. In August, the possibility of requiring a 13-per cent increase was raised but city administrators worked to reduce that number to the current 8.1-per cent proposal.

Sohi wrote a letter to city councillors late last month in which he pitched a plan that …