Any spending requests for city council to consider are simply part of a “wishlist,” according to Calgary’s mayor, as fallout continues at city hall over the leak of preliminary budget documents.
It comes after Global News obtained the confidential documents, which indicated revenue from property taxes would need to increase by 20.2 per cent next year alone to fund an additional $510 million in operating spending required to cover every single spending request from across city departments and partners.
According to the documents, which were presented to council during a closed session on July 28, property taxes would also need to increase by 8.5 per cent in 2028, nine per cent in 2029 and 8.9 per cent increase in 2030, if all the spending requests got council approval this fall.
However, city council directed administration to narrow the scope of those requests within a 15 per cent property tax increase next year, followed by a 12.5 per cent increase in 2028, a nine per cent jump in 2029 and a six per cent increase in 2030.
Those updated figures will be presented to council during a closed session on Sept. 22, Global News has learned.
“At this time, city council hasn’t adopted any tax increase, we haven’t even adopted a proposed tax increase,” Mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters Thursday.
“We’re still pencils to paper to really make sure we’re focusing on the needs over the wants.”
According to Farkas, the slew of spending requests up for council consideration do not represent what the final number taxpayers could face when the budget is finalized in November; he noted his objectives are to prioritize infrastructure and public safety.
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“This is a wishlist. Everybody comes out of the woodwork around budget time and asks for all of the stuff,” Farkas said.
“If you were to add and tally all the requests… it comes out to a real big number.”
However, the documents show many of the funding requests to be debated during budget talks in November have already been in front of and endorsed by city council throughout the year.
Those figures for 2027 include:
- $44.3 million to help secure sustainable funding for infrastructure maintenance
- $16.9 million to increase the number of Transit Peace Officers on the transit system
- $20 million to improve transit service frequency as part of RouteAhead
- $27.5 million to fund the low-income transit pass, $28 million to fill the gap in fine revenue from photo radar rule changes
- $25.1 million for the city’s Safer Together plan
“That’s not a wishlist — that’s a council that has trouble saying no,” said Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston. “I’m not okay with that. I don’t think taxpayers should be okay with the mayor (being) unable to make difficult decisions.”
Johnston was at the centre of political fallout at city hall Thursday after he took to social media and admitted he leaked confidential budget documents.
Typically, the budget documents and discussions remain behind closed doors until the spending plan is finalized and released in early November for public feedback, ahead of deliberations later that month.
Johnston argued releasing the “unconstrained” insight into the budget process would be in the public interest, and that “deep” spending cuts would be required.
“I’m hardly the first person to release confidential information, I was just the first person not to be a coward about it,” he told reporters.
“This gives us a reason to come back and attack the priorities Calgarians want.”
Farkas accused Johnston of “click baiting, rage farming, and trying to provoke a reaction.”
Farkas defended the confidential nature of the discussions to date, and added he is concerned about the legal risk for the city if third-party information is released.
Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule told reporters he was disappointed the information was released, but isn’t confident there will be any repercussions, as the council code of conduct was eliminated by the provincial government last year.
“Every leak is inappropriate and every leak should be investigated, but without a framework to do that, we’re just left hanging,” Yule said.
“Whether people think this is a big deal or a nothingburger — it is a breach of trust of this council and our oath of office.”
Calgary city council will deliberate the next four-year budget on Nov. 23 after the proposed spending plan is released publicly in early November.
Global News reached out to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for comment but did not receive a response before publishing.
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