Provincial funding being sent to municipalities under a new framework is not enough to keep up with infrastructure or service requirements, the Town of Okotoks says.
The Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF), a provincial funding program for municipal infrastructure, replaces the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) this year. Details of how the new program will impact the Town of Okotoks are scheduled to be presented during the Town's council meeting on Jan. 22.
In a report to council, Okotoks' chief financial officer writes that the new funding arrangement “will not provide the Town with sufficient funds to maintain core infrastructure, (or) meet the demands for service levels and affordable housing.”
The Town of Okotoks and Alberta Municipalites have previously called on the Province to increase total funding available under the LGFF by an additional $1 billion, but it has stayed at $722 million.
“Although communities have continued to grow, the provincial government’s spending on local infrastructure has dropped from 3.7 per cent of total spending a decade ago to just one per cent today,” the Town said earlier this month.
According to the report, per-resident capital funding will drop from its 10-year average of $193 to $105 this year and $119 next year. The Town will get $3.4 million in funding in 2024 and $3.9 million in 2025 under the new formula.
ABmunis said infrastructure funding supports things like roads and transit, sidewalks, water and wastewater lines, fire trucks, recreation facilities and public service buildings.
Other topics on the meeting agenda include usage numbers of the Recreation Fee Assistance Policy and a monthly update on medical responses by the fire department.
The meeting begins at 3 p.m. and is open to the public, or it can be live-streamed at okotoks.ca.
