Cypress County council approves first reading of tax rate bylaw at it’s special meeting Wednesday

Non-municipal tax changes for 2026 are higher, including increases of 3.99 per cent for farmland, 5.60 per cent for residential, 5.90 per cent for non-residential, 6.30 per cent for small businesses and 6.26 per cent for machinery and equipment.

New to this year’s bylaw is the ability to separately show the provincial policing requisition.

The change stems from Alberta’s police funding model introduced in 2020, which shifts more policing costs onto municipalities, and for Cypress County, that requisition has grown from about $160,000 to $933,568 annually.

Administration said the added transparency will help taxpayers better understand where their money is going, noting a substantial share of property taxes collected does not remain with the municipality.

During a lengthy debate, the council also discussed the future of the county’s 20th percentile tax strategy, which was originally adopted to bring rates in line with other rural municipalities.

Councillor Robin Kurpjuweit said the approach has largely achieved its goal but may no longer reflect the county’s financial realities.

Administration followed up, indicating it plans to bring forward new methodology options in the future to better align tax policy with the council’s strategic priorities and funding needs.

Council also discussed the county’s minimum municipal tax, currently set at $20 per property tax account, but left it unchanged and asked administration to bring back options for future consideration.

After discussion, council approved the first reading of the bylaw and directed administration to return with additional analysis and potential revisions before subsequent readings, taking place at the next regular council meeting on May 5.

by Jett Schwaier

Cypress County council approves first reading of tax rate bylaw at it’s special meeting Wednesday

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