St. Albert Minute: Budget Survey, Business Awards, and Leaving Edmonton Global

St. Albert Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of St. Albert politics

This Week In St. Albert:

• On Tuesday, at 1:00 pm, there will be a meeting of City Council. Councillor Sheena Hughes will bring forward a Notice of Motion requesting that, beginning in 2025, Administration present to Council an Annual Fire Services Report. Councillor Natalie Joly will also bring forward a Notice of Motion - this one requesting that the City withdraw from the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Economic Development Company (Edmonton Global).
  
  
• As soon as the Council meeting concludes, there will be a continuation of last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting. Then, on Wednesday, at 6:30 pm, there will be a meeting of the Youth Advisory Committee.
  
  
• Residents are being asked to participate in a survey on the proposed 2025-27 Financial Plan and 2025 Budget. The plan includes an average property tax increase of 4%, along with a 7.2% increase in utility rates. You can provide your feedback online until November 6th.

Last Week In St. Albert:

• The St. Albert Library and Arts and Heritage Foundation Boards have requested a 5% increase in their funding for the 2025 budget, noting that expenses have surged for various necessities, including artist fees, materials, and IT security. The Arts and Heritage Foundation, which manages multiple cultural sites, also faces additional landscaping costs that require contracting services. Library usage is also on the rise, with in-person visits up 10% this year and significant increases in memberships and program participation. No decisions on the funding requests have been made yet, but budget discussions continue this month.
  
  
• Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools announced a review of its ward boundaries, which may lead to a reduction in school trustees for the communities of Legal and Morinville. Currently, the district has three wards - St. Albert, Morinville, and Legal - allocated with four, two, and one trustee respectively. Proposed changes include merging the Legal and Morinville wards, potentially resulting in only one or two trustees for that region, while St. Albert could gain an additional trustee. Open houses and an online survey have been organized to gather community feedback before any decisions are finalized. The final boundary adjustments, if implemented, would be submitted to the provincial government for approval by December 31st and would take effect for the fall 2025 trustee elections. Additional information is available on the School Division’s website.
  
  
• The St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Excellence Awards, celebrating local winners in a 1970s themed event. Jodie McFadzen received the Lynda Moffat Woman of Distinction Award for her commitment to supporting businesses and charities in the community. Other notable winners included Barry and Lisa Bailey of Bailey Books, who earned the Small Business Award after increasing sales by 3,000% with their marketing strategies. Ammon Bodie received the inaugural Indigenous Award on behalf of Sunshine Promotions, Clearwater Car Wash was honoured with the Ignite Award for its rapid growth, and Lomita Tutoring's Balbina and Vincent Nagera received the Young Entrepreneur Award for their tutoring services.

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