Edmonton proposes 4.5% tax hike for 2012

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The City of Edmonton is proposing a 4.5 per cent tax increase in its 2012 budget.

For a typical Edmonton home assessed at $365,000, the budget would result in a tax increase of almost $77 for the year or about $6.42 per month for households that pay on the monthly plan, estimates the city.

- X! y0 K' L5 {: yCity council is beginning the month-long process of finalizing the level of services and taxes Edmontonians will see in 2012.
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"Time and time again we hear from citizens," said Mayor Stephen Mandel. "They want snow removal; they want more police; they want better recreation centres...and it doesn't come free.
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"When you have such limited taxing authority which is primarily just a property tax, it makes it difficult."
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The proposed budget includes a three per cent hike to cover the rising cost of municipal services and 1.5 per cent to continue repairing communities under the Neighbourhood Renewal Program.
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  U0 u6 @7 F2 n( v, d; h- y$ }$ |“All services — police, fire rescue, recreation programming, parks maintenance, public transit, libraries, roadway maintenance, and a range of other services — are provided for under $5 a day in property taxes for the typical household,” said city manager Simon Farbrother.

, N8 i! s# v" R+ I7 S& Y; [% M1 oThe tax increase is needed to expand transit services, emergency protection, snow removal and road maintenance into new neighbourhoods, he said.
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" a0 O6 O- d, y; zIn addition, a number of new facilities coming on stream in 2012 such as the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre and the Southwest Division Police Station will require operating costs and upwards of 280 employees.

0 V! |4 V7 ~2 Y/ w- U  C* [The city also faces rising salaries for civic employees and growing costs of materials such as pothole fill and fuel for buses, police and parks vehicles, said Farbrother.
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& j# P% e/ r- u& l/ eThe chief of police is also looking for 68 new officers to help with a ballooning murder rate.

Even with the tax hike, the city must look at cutting staff and reducing services.
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- s0 q7 n: R# J! W6 a7 N- Z( DThe budget proposes eliminating 78 jobs and eliminating or reducing services such as planting flowers and shrubs, cutting transit hours and halt cleaning back alleys.

Council will hold a public hearing on the budget on Nov. 23, then begin discussions on Nov. 25.
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/ c* R6 x$ Q+ v; _& fBudget meetings should wrap up by the middle of December, when the final tax increase for 2012 will be determined.