In Airdrie we use principles of zero-based budgeting to create our annual budgets. This means that each City business unit starts from zero and creates a budget based on what is needed to deliver Council endorsed services and to advance Council’s focus areas.

Typical operational expenses for the City include the cost to provide services such as street cleaning, recreation, water services, streetlights, trails, pathways, playgrounds, parks, public transit, arts and culture, police, fire and municipal enforcement.

The capital budget on the other hand covers large projects, like a new recreation facility or fire hall. The utility fund covers water and waste and recycling services.

Each year the City prepares an annual budget plus a budget projection for the next three years. We also prepare a 10-year capital plan that outlines major projects to be funded over the next decade. City budgets are reviewed, deliberated and approved by Council in the fall each year.

Share your feedback on priorities for the upcoming 2025 City budget!

Airdrie residents, explore the tools on this page to let us know about your priorities for the upcoming budget year (2025).

1. Use the Priorities Activity tab to provide feedback on specific services
2. Use the Service Areas tab to highlight which services areas as a grouping are most important to you in the coming year (2025).
3. Use the 10-Year Capital Plan tab to highlight which long-term infrastructure investments are most important to you.

Do you own a business in Airdrie? We'd also love to hear from you. Please use the Business Survey tab to share your priorities on next year's budget from the perspective of your business!

In 2023, Council approved several items from the 10-year capital plan to move forward beginning in 2024, including:

• Artificial Turf Field. In 2023, Council approved construction of an artificial turf field at Ed Eggerer Athletic Park. Construction started in April 2024.
• Highland Park Fire Station. In March 2024, Council moved forward with funding the construction of the new fire station.
• NE Regional Park. The Master Plan to guide development of this new park as well as Phase 1 of construction, was endorsed by Council in April 2024.
• SW Recreation Centre. Council moved forward with funding detailed design of the facility.

66% of your yearly property taxes go to the municipality.

33% go to the Province of Alberta for education taxes. This amount is determined by the province based on each city’s total assessment value. Municipalities collect the education property tax and send it to the province to distribute to the public and separate school boards on a per student basis.

1% goes to Rocky View Foundation, a non-profit association established in 1964 to provide low cost rental housing for seniors residing in Rocky View County and the Province of Alberta.

The average resident in Airdrie is paying 40% less in taxes than the average of the rest of these cities. If we want to provide more amenities to residents, this gap will have to narrow.

The average municipal tax per business in each municipality is shown on this chart based on an assessed value of $850,000. An Airdrie business that paid just under $8,000 in municipal taxes in 2023, would have paid more than $15,000 of municipal taxes in Calgary.

City provided utilities in Airdrie such as water distribution, wastewater collection, stormwater management, waste and recycling curbside service, and drop off service at the Recycle Depot and Transfer Site are paid for by user fees and are not currently supported by property tax revenues.

Utility rates are proposed and reviewed during the annual budget and planning cycle in November each year. Approximately 20% of the revenue generated by utility fees for the water and sewer system is contributed to the City’s general operating budget to cover overhead or indirect expenses not directly charged to the utility.

The feedback you provide here will be shared with City Staff for consideration in creating the 2025 budget. It will also be shared with Council to provide them insight into what Airdrie residents identify is important; which they can weigh alongside many other factors and provincial obligations that they must weigh in on during budget deliberations.