City Council has approved the 2027 Utilities Budget following public deliberations on September 29.
The approved budget establishes the funding required to operate, maintain and invest in essential utility services, including electricity distribution, water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and waste management services.
“Utility services are fundamental to our quality of life and something every resident and business depends on every day,” said Mayor Cindy Jefferies. “While most people rarely think about the infrastructure behind these services, the systems that deliver water, electricity and waste management represent significant community assets. Council's decision reflects the importance of maintaining and renewing that infrastructure today so future residents can continue to depend on the same reliable service we expect today.”
The approved budget supports utility systems that include approximately 650 kilometres of water distribution infrastructure, 520 kilometres of wastewater infrastructure and 1,000 kilometres of electric infrastructure. It also supports several key priorities, including maintaining safe and reliable utility services, renewing and replacing aging infrastructure, advancing modernization initiatives and preparing utility systems for future growth and changing regulatory requirements.
“The Utilities Budget establishes the funding required to operate, maintain and invest in Red Deer’s utility systems,” said Sam Mugford, Chief Financial Officer. “The approved budget reflects a continued focus on reliability, sustainability and responsible infrastructure stewardship. These investments help ensure utility services remain dependable today while preparing our systems for future needs.”
Council’s approval of the Utilities Budget does not establish utility rates. The Utilities Budget identifies the funding required to support utility operations, infrastructure renewal and long-term planning. Administration will now update utility rate models and return to Council with recommended utility rates through the Utility Rate Bylaw process later this fall.
Administration estimates the approved budget would result in impacts across electricity, water, wastewater and waste management services; however, final utility rates and customer impacts will not be known until Council considers the Utility Rate Bylaw later this Fall.
As part of the budget process, Council also considered questions and comments submitted by residents during the public review period.
Next steps in the 2027 Budget process include:
- Capital Budget: Now available for public review at reddeer.ca/budget. Debate will occur October 13.
- Operating Budget: The budget will be available for public review on November 5 with the debate occurring November 23-27.
More information is available at reddeer.ca/Budget.