With the recent announcement of the provinces $4.3 Billion dollar surplus, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is looking to get their fare share of dividends.
The money was accumulated on the back of “under funding” cities according to Edmonton mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
The province currently owes approximately $80M in unpaid property taxes, leaving Edmontonians on the hook for the shortage of funds.
There is a current program in place, “grants in place of taxes” in which the Alberta government pays 50% of what property taxes would be. In 2019, that amount was 75%, and prior to that, it was matched dollar for dollar. The cut-backs int he program where required to reduce operational spending according to the province.
Edmonton’s mayor, Amarjeet Sohi is also seeking changed to how municipalities are funded in the province to better suit the city’s growing infrastructure needs. The concerns were first brought forth via a 6-page letter which called on the Alberta to “revisit the local government fiscal framework and to review the police funding model.”
The recent property tax increase of 8.9% is thought to have been just one way the city has offset for the shortage from the province.
The province is said to be open to discussions of restoring the funds.
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