Edmonton homeowners will face higher property taxes following the coming increases revealed in the final budget of the city council’s term.
Edmonton City Council has approved a 6.1% property tax increase for 2025, with an additional 6.8% increase to follow in 2026.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi emphasized that the adjustments reflect the city council’s priorities of maintaining core services while addressing inflation and a growing population.
“Today’s approval of the 2025 budget adjustments represents a significant step forward in building a more inclusive and sustainable Edmonton,” Sohi said in a press release. “These decisions reflect our shared priorities of protecting core services, investing in critical infrastructure, and ensuring fiscal responsibility.”
The city council said it has been making adjustments since last fall in response to inflation, rapid population growth, and changing service needs.
“Edmontonians are feeling the pressures of inflation, stagnant provincial funding, and a rapidly growing population. These challenges are further intensified by an affordability crisis that affects nearly every household,” said Sohi in a statement.
City Manager Eddie Robar echoed these concerns.
“The decisions that City Council made will allow us to maintain the roads, bridges, pathways and transit that move people; deliver the emergency services and social supports people count on, and activate attractions, recreation centres, sports fields and parks that make Edmonton a great place to call home,” said Robar.
Council reduced the originally proposed 8.1% increase by two percentage points through cuts and reallocations. Key measures include an $8.5 million savings plan, increased utility revenues, and a reduction in the annual transfer to fund capital projects.
The tax increase will help pay for the $40 million increased cost for municipal services and an additional $11 million allocated to police services.
Sohi said, in a post to X, that the budget adds value to organizations, supports industrial growth, and replenishes the stabilization reserve. He added that a future levy will be created to address the growing infrastructure deficit.
The budget states that Edmonton households will pay around $747 per $100,000 of assessed home value in 2024, a $46 increase from the previous year. The payment will rise to $813 per $100,000 in 2025, an additional $47 increase.
Edmonton Mayoral Candidate for 2025 Tim Cartmell said that he did not support the 6.1% tax increase in a post to X. He highlighted that the tax increase and subsequent proposals would result in a property tax increase of 29% in four years.
“I really struggle with the amount of money that we’re taking from you, (and) that we cannot show you that we’re actually providing value for. We’re going to have to find a different way to do this,” said Cartmell.
However, the mayoral candidate said he was encouraged that the city council followed his lead on a zero-based budgeting process, allowing them to determine where more spending is needed and where cost-cutting can occur.
Cartmell added that the zero-based budgeting process would consist of “an across-the-board look that reports to city council.” The budgeting process would require the city to justify its expenses in greater detail each year.
He said that in the past, people responsible for different operations have filtered the information provided to city council and became defensive about the questions being asked.
He added that he hopes this process will result in the next budget adjustment, which will follow the next municipal election, being more detailed and less focused on small portions of the budget.
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