Calgary’s proposed 15% tax hike draws fire as councillor pitches 10% cuts to libraries, zoo and other partners

The City of Calgary’s draft 2027–2030 budget, released this week, proposes raising municipal property tax revenue from existing properties by 15 per cent in 2027, followed by 10 per cent in 2028, 7.7 per cent in 2029 and 6 per cent in 2030. The city says a typical single-family home would pay about $53 more a month ($37 in property tax and $16 for water, waste and recycling). The draft also sets out a $6-billion operating budget for 2027 and $21 billion in capital spending over four years, aimed at closing an infrastructure gap that came under scrutiny after two catastrophic water main breaks in recent years.

Councillor: “Nobody’s happy” with a hike this high

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean floated on Saturday a 10 per cent across-the-board cut to the city’s investment in its “civic partners” to chip away at the tax hike, saying “nobody’s happy” with how high taxes could rise. The partners include the Calgary Public Library, the Calgary Zoo, Calgary Economic Development, Tourism Calgary, the Parks Foundation, Silvera for Seniors and Telus Spark. “I’m not against all these civic partners, they have value. But every year ‘give me more, give me more, give me more.’ Maybe this is a year that we say, ‘OK, let’s hold tight,’” McLean said.

Still changeable: public input starts Nov. 23

City council starts hearing from Calgarians on Nov. 23 and is set to approve a final budget in December; the numbers can still change. Notably, the 15 per cent figure covers only the part of the bill council controls; once an expected drop in the provincial share is counted, the typical home’s overall tax bill would rise by about 7 per cent.

(Cover image is a file photo of downtown Calgary. Photo: City of Calgary.)