Brazeau County Passes Final 2023 Budget
BRAZEAU COUNTY, April 21, 2023 — On April 12th, Brazeau County Council passed the final budget for 2023, with targeted investment in the County, and on April 18th, passed several bylaws in order to provide tax incentives or a reduced tax rate for some property classes.
The budget maintains the 8-year freeze on municipal taxes. Fees, which were limited to zero or to minimal levels in previous years, are not set to increase outside campground rentals and non-resident burial plots.
A tax incentive of 25% will be applied to the municipal property tax for residential properties when taxes (including arrears) are paid in full by June 30th, 2023. For properties in the newly-created vacant non-residential and small business sub-classes, the municipal property tax rate has been reduced by 25%.
This is the eighth year in a row that the budget includes tax savings for non-residential property classes, and for the fourth year, a tax incentive has also been applied to residential and farmland properties.
The budget also includes $8.9 million in capital investment in roads, equipment replacement, and other infrastructure.
“This budget, as in previous years, protects the taxpayer, while at the same time, invests in critical infrastructure to better serve our residents,” says Reeve Bart Guyon. “This reflects Council’s focus on our key priorities: keeping the cost of living and doing business in Brazeau among the lowest in the country, while providing the services and infrastructure we need to serve our ratepayers, our businesses, and industry.
Infrastructure investments and other initiatives include:
- A new pumper truck for Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services
- Construction of one mile of Township Road 474
- A farm plastics recycling program
- New software to allow campground bookings online
- Software to enable the County to record Council meetings
- A new playground at Willey West campground
- A modernized radio system to allow Fire Services to use the same communication system as the RCMP and other emergency responders
- An increase in funding to STARS air ambulance
- Purchase of two blades to allow a tractor and skid steer to be used year-round, complementing the winter maintenance fleet
- A strategic replacement approach to equipment replacement, based on specific equipment and its use, in order to extend their lifespan.
Once finalized, the budget will be available at www.brazeau.ab.ca, and information on taxes, including the incentive and reduced tax rate, will be published online and in the May/June issue of the Brazeau County News.
For more information on the budget, please contact Chief Administrative Officer Kent Edney at 780-542-7777 or kedney@brazeau.ab.ca.
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