City council signals property tax hike looming for 2027 Calgary budget

Calgary city council emerged from a confidential budget meeting Tuesday evening signalling that property tax hikes are likely heading into next year.

Council voted 8-7 to direct administration to "increase the 2027 property tax revenue as a planning guide" while further refining spending priorities for the 2027-2030 budget cycle. The draft budget arrives this fall, with council deliberation set for late November.

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean said the tax rate projections are unacceptable. "We're seeing a lot of significant asks in the projected tax rate that, to me, is just unacceptable," he said. "We have to look at some line items by line item, go through them all. To me, public safety is very important as are your roads, your snow removal, your basic essential surfaces. Let's look at those first, and then start looking at ones that we have to cut."

The city is facing substantial budget requests: Calgary Police Service wants to hire an additional 660 officers over the four-year cycle, and Calgary Fire Department has signalled it needs expanded funding to handle growing call volumes and the city's expanding footprint. A March capital infrastructure update outlined nearly $50 billion in recommended spending over a decade to improve Calgary's deteriorating city-owned assets.

Last December, the newly elected council approved this year's budget after one of the lengthiest deliberations in recent memory. Council had whittled an initial 3.6 per cent proposed tax increase down to 1.64 per cent—a monthly increase of $4.50 for the average homeowner—by drawing on reserves and reallocating $50 million from projected investment income. That modest increase was partially offset when the Alberta government raised its education tax requisition, adding roughly $340 to the average homeowner's tax bill.

Council still has not said what the exact 2027 tax increase will be or which specific services might be cut to lower it.