Budget Process and Financial Strategy

Main page content begins here

The City makes financial decisions by:

Planning how to spend
Budgeting where to spend
Reporting the results

Planning

The City's strategic planning framework is 6 plans and processes.

The budgeting process is driven by achieving the goals and priorities as voiced by Council and Edmontonians through ConnectEdmonton and extensive public engagement on The City Plan and the Corporate Business Plan. Learn more about the City's strategic plans.

Budgeting

Budgets are developed in 4-year cycles.

This longer view helps plan stable programs and services. The budget is reviewed and adjusted each year, as needed.

City Council has finalized the 2023-2026 budget. Details can be found on Engaged Edmonton and in the What We Heard Report .

Where are we now? Where are we going? How will we get there?

Capital Budget

The capital budget is for the things the City builds.

It's about the money the City uses for building and maintaining infrastructure.

Examples are:

Attractions
Roads and pathways
Bridges
LRT expansion
Recreation centres
Parks
Fire halls
Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal

We pay for this construction through:

Grants: nearly 39% of the City’s approved capital budget is funded with grants from provincial and federal governments
Tax-supported debt: The City uses debt in order to take advantage of lower interest rates and move priority infrastructure projects forward
Reserves: Some of the City’s reserves is money set aside to pay for capital projects on a cash basis over the short term
Investment income: Much of this income is transferred to the capital budget to pay for new infrastructure

2023-2026 Capital Budget

Capital Budget Documents

Capital Budget

2025 Budget Highlights

Fall Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment Report
Presented to Council on October 31, 2024

2024 Budget Highlights

Spring Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment Report
Presented to Council on June 13, 2024
Fall Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment Report
Presented to Council on November 7, 2023

2023 Budget Highlights

Spring Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment Report
Presented to Council on June 13, 2023
2023-2026 (Original)
Approved by Council on December 16, 2022
- Responses to Councillor Questions
Full report posted on November 24, 2022
Responses Sorted By Question Number
Responses Sorted By Councillor
Attachments:
Safe Crossing Locations List (Questions 23-105, 23-217, 23-304)
Impact of Mobile Speed Enforcement Academic Report (Question 23-129)
Accident Analysis and Prevention Academic Report (Question 23-129)
- 2023-2032 Capital Investment Outlook
Presented to Council on June 7, 2022
2022 Budget Highlights

Spring Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on June 7, 2022
Fall Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on November 29, 2021
2021 Budget Highlights
Includes 2020 - Fall Supplemental Adjustment
2019-2022 Capital Budget (Original)
Approved by City Council on December 14, 2018
Capital Profiles
Information about the different capital projects that the City builds.
2020 Fall - Summary of Supplemental Capital Budget Adjustments
Approved by City Council on Dec 9 and 11, 2020
2015-2018 Capital Budget
2012-2014 Capital Budget

Where the City’s Money Comes From and How It Is Spent

These charts show where we get our capital funding, and the types of projects we spend it on.

Capital Budget Funding Sources

Where our money comes from

Revenues for 2024 as approved on December 16, 2022.

Capital Budget by Corporate Outcome

Where our money goes

Expenses for 2023 as approved on December 16, 2022.

Operating Budget

The operating budget is about the money the City uses every day for programs and services.

Examples of these programs and services are:

Maintaining the roads and public transit that move people
Police, bylaws and fire rescue services to keep people safe
Attractions, leisure activities, parks and social programs that make Edmonton a great place to live, work and visit

The City gets money from sources including:

Property taxes: Account for over half of our operating revenues.
User fees: These include recreation facility admissions, transit fares, parking and building fees and other permits. They are designed to partially recover costs from people who directly use the service.
Franchise fees: ATCO Gas and EPCOR provide gas, power and wastewater services to Edmontonians. The City charges these operators franchise fees for related costs and land access.

2025-2026 Operating Budget

Operating Budget Documents

Operating Budget

2025 Budget Highlights

2025-2026 Operating Budget
Approved December 2025
2025 Spring Tax Levy Confirmation
Presented to Council April 22, 2025
Fall Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on October 31, 2024

2024 Budget Highlights

2024-2026 Operating Budget
Approved April 2024
Spring Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on April 23, 2024
Fall Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on November 7, 2023

2023 Budget Highlights

Spring Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on April 17, 2023

2023-2026 Operating Budget (Original)
Approved by Council December 2022

-Responses to Councillor Questions - Operating Budget
Full report posted on December 1, 2022
Responses Sorted By Question Number
Responses Sorted By Councillor
Attachments:
Turf By Year Added (Question 23-306)
Greater Edmonton Foundation Ministerial Orders (Question 23-268)
Completed Neighbourhood Renewal Program Projects - 2009 - 2022 (Question 23-243)
Permanent Vacant FTE (Question 23-109)
Scope of Energy Transition Strategy and Climate Adaptation Strategy Implementation Operating Service Packages (Questions 23-061, 23-086, 23-108, 23-128, 23-129, 23-133, 23-161, 23-220, 23-333, 23-349)
FCSS Funding Trends (Question 23-010)
Breakdown of Funding Allocations for Seniors (Question 23-010)
Breakdown of FCSS Funding Decisions (Question 23-010)
Agencies, Boards & Commissions - Organizational Charts (Question 23-405)
Bylaw Ticket Administration Offence List (Question 23-056)
-2023-2032 Operating Investment Outlook
Presented to Council on June 7, 2022

2022 Budget Highlights

Spring Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on April 19, 2022

Fall Supplemental Operating Budget Adjustment
Presented to Council on November 29, 2021

COVID-19 2022 Financial Impacts and Funding Strategy
Presented to Council on November 29, 2021

2022 Tax Levy Research - Summary Report
Edmontonians’ perspectives on taxation levels and service expectations. The results were shared with City Council to support their budget deliberations.

2021 Budget Highlights

Includes 2020 - Fall Supplemental Adjustment
Approved by City Council on Dec 9 and 11, 2020

2019-2022 Operating Budget (Original)
Approved by City Council on December 14, 2018

2019-2022 Executive Summary

Supplemental Adjustments

2020 - Spring (COVID)
Approved by City Council on April 27, 2020
2019 - Fall
Approved by City Council on December 13, 2019
2019 - Spring
Approved by City Council on April 30, 2019

2016-2018 Operating Budget

2015 Operating Budget

2014 Operating Budget

2013 Operating Budget

2012 Operating Budget

2011 Operating Budget

2010 Operating Budget

2009 Operating Budget

2008 Operating Budget

Where the City’s Money Comes From and How It's Spent

These charts show the percentage of revenues and expenditures that go to various areas of the City.

Revenues

Where our money comes from

Revenues for 2025 as approved on December 5, 2024.

Expenditures

Where our money goes

Expenses for 2025 as approved on December 5, 2024.

Waste Services Utility Budget

Waste Services is a public utility.

Residential waste services are funded by monthly utility rates, not property taxes.

Waste Services is governed by the Utility Committee. An independent Utility Advisor provides oversight. The Utility operates under a Waste Services Utility Fiscal Policy .

Examples of these waste services are:

Waste collection
Eco Stations
Reuse Centre
Big Bin events
Waste education and outreach
Edmonton Waste Management Centre operations
Landfill and utility management

2023-2026 Waste Services Utility Budget

Waste Services Budget Documents

Waste Services Utility Budget

2025 Budget Highlights

2023-2026 Waste Services Budget

Capital Budget Adjustment Report

2023 Budget Highlights

2022 Budget Highlights

Approved by City Council in December 2021

2021 Budget Highlights

Includes 2020 - Fall Supplemental Adjustment
Approved by City Council on December 9 and 11, 2020

2019-2022 Waste Services (Original)
Approved by City Council on December 5, 2018

2016-2018 Utilities Budget

Waste Services Utility Rate Filing

2022 Budget Highlights - page 10

Approved by City Council in December 2021

2021 Waste Services Rate Filing

2020 Waste Services Rate Filing

2019 Waste Services Rate Filing

Blatchford Utility Budget

Blatchford Renewable Energy operates as a municipally owned utility.

Blatchford Renewable Energy owns and operates the Blatchford community’s District Energy Sharing System (DESS). This system will provide heating, cooling and hot water services to Blatchford residents and businesses.

2023-2026 Blatchford Utility Budget

Blatchford Utility Budget Documents

Blatchford Utility Budget

2025 Budget Highlights

Blatchford Utility Budget Adjustment Report

2023-2026 Blatchford Utility

2023 Budget Highlights

Responses to Councillor Questions: posted November 24, 2022

Responses Sorted By Question Number

Responses Sorted By Councillor

Approved 2019-2022 Blatchford Utility (Original)

2021-2024 Blatchford Renewable Energy Business Plan

Blatchford Utility Rate Filing

2022 Budget Highlights - page 12

Approved by City Council in December 2021

2021 Blatchford Utility Annual Rate Filing

2020 Blatchford Utility Annual Rate Filing

2019 Blatchford Utility Annual Rate Filing

Carbon Budget

The City has targets to be carbon neutral for the entire community by 2050, and for the corporation by 2040.

The carbon budget incorporates budget requests from the operating, capital and utility budgets to provide a holistic view of carbon impacts associated with the 2023-2026 budgets.