Where Your Taxes Go

Edmonton Police Service (EPS) provides for protection of life and property, preservation of public peace, prevention and detection of crime, and regulation of noncriminal conduct as required by law. This also includes: community policing, crime prevention, victim support, traffic safety/enforcement and many other services.

EPS funding is determined through a formula that accounts for the impacts of inflation and population growth on policing costs.

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) provides public transportation, helping riders get where they need to go through buses, Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Dedicated Accessible Transit Services (DATS).

In 2024, ETS helped more than 61.6 million riders reach their destinations.

ETS is also partially funded by user fees (fares, passes etc.).

Debt repayment is the interest the City pays for money it has borrowed to help finance some capital projects.

The City only uses debt for capital projects, like building roads, facilities and other infrastructure, or doing major renewal when it’s needed. The City does not use debt for day-to-day operations, like fire rescue, parks, police, recreation centres, snow removal or transit.

Projects funded with tax-supported debt include:

• Valley Line West and Capital Line South LRT extensions (partially funded)
• Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion (partially funded)
• Lewis Farms Facility and Park Project (primarily funded)
• High Level Bridge Rehabilitation (fully funded)
• William Hawrelak Park Rehabilitation (fully funded)
• Active Transportation Network Expansion (fully funded)

Capital projects are also funded through grants from other orders of government, reserves and investment income.

General expenses are the costs that impact the whole organization versus specific departments. They include automated enforcement costs, capital project financing costs, corporate insurance and other corporate-wide expenditures.

Fire Rescue protects life, property and the environment. It provides internationally recognized frontline fire rescue services, prevention programs and public education, making the city a safer and healthier place.

Neighbourhood Renewal renews and rebuilds roads, sidewalks and street lights in neighbourhoods and collector roadways. The program is paid for through a combination of property taxes and cost-sharing with property owners for specific neighbourhood local improvements.

Parks and Roads Services maintains and operates infrastructure like roadways, sidewalks, bike lanes, street lights, bridges and safe mobility programs. This service includes snow clearing and street sweeping. They also maintain 400,000 trees, 980 parks, turf and sports fields, playgrounds, over 225,000 shrub beds and manage pest control.

Support Services keep the City’s programs and services running smoothly. Support services include the 311 call centre, bill payments and accounting function, purchasing and warehousing, and employee safety and staff recruitment. 

The City uses a portion of the money it collects from taxes to help pay for capital projects. This money, along with revenue from things like investment earnings, is called Pay As You Go (PAYGO) funding, which helps to reduce the amount of debt needed to fund capital projects. 

The Lewis Farms Facility and Park Project was funded in part with PAYGO.

Community, Recreation and Neighbourhood Services includes attractions, recreation centres, festivals, bylaw enforcement and more. It creates connected, clean, safe and livable urban spaces. Some services are also partially funded through user fees (admissions, pet licences).

Community Recreation and Neighbourhood Services includes 19 recreation centres, which receive over 5.8 million visits per year, the Edmonton Valley Zoo, which receives over 344,000 visits per year, and the Muttart Conservatory, which receives over 218,000 visits per year. 

Planning and Development includes the work of ensuring the city grows in a planned and strategic way. It also includes the work to build a great city—from planning, to design, to delivering and maintaining infrastructure like roads, bridges, LRT, recreation centres, fire halls, police stations and libraries.

Fleet and Facility Services maintains over 5,000 fleet vehicles and equipment, more than 900 City-owned buildings and over 700 other amenities in public spaces across the city, including spray decks and splash pads.

There are external organizations and civic agencies that receive funding from the City. 

The external organizations included in this funding are the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues, Edmonton Heritage Council and Telus World of Science. 

The civic agencies included in this funding are the Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Combative Sports Commission, Edmonton Unlimited, Explore Edmonton, Fort Edmonton Park, GEF Seniors Housing and REACH Edmonton.

Governance and oversight includes the work of developing, implementing and aligning the strategic priorities of the corporation and Council. This is led by the City Manager and City Council. 

Governance and oversight also includes democratic functions (for example, elections), auditing, legal, risk and security services.

Social Development is committed to building relationships in the spirit of reconciliation and good relations. It helps build capacity of communities, neighbourhoods, social agencies and non-profit organizations, particularly those with a focus on equity-deserving communities, that are dedicated to making a more inclusive, safe and welcoming city. 

This work includes: Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Community Investment, Indigenous Relations, Neighbourhood Services, and Safe and Healthy Communities.

Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is the city’s largest lender of information and entertainment. Library cards are free to all Edmontonians, allowing them to access 21 branches across the city. City funding helps Edmontonians check out over 11 million items per year.