ABmunis' Property Taxes Reimagined Information Project Now Available

We are pleased to announce the initial member release of Alberta Municipalities’ new information project called Property Taxes Reimagined: Fair Funding for Strong Communities.  

The goal is to help Albertans understand why property taxes are increasing and start a conversation with residents, businesses, and municipal and provincial leaders about whether Alberta needs to reimagine how local community services are funded. This initial release of information helps explain: 

• The five main reasons why property taxes are rising
• That Albertan’s property tax bill includes a provincial tax, which is also increasing
• How provincial funding for municipalities has been cut in half over the last 15 years
• How inflation is making things more expensive for municipalities
• How municipalities must balance their budget and how that impacts taxes
• What services are provided by each level of government. 

Will ABmunis be releasing more information in the future? 

Yes. This is just the beginning. Over the next few months, we will add videos and stories from municipalities about their funding challenges. We also plan to share more tools to help you talk with your residents and MLAs about these issues.  

We are also doing more research on topics like:  

• Alberta’s municipal infrastructure deficit
• The costs of a growing population for municipalities
• How land use planning affects the long-term tax burden for Albertans. 

We’ll share these findings with members and provincial leaders upon completion.  

How will ABmunis get this information out to Albertans?  

We’ve created a Property Taxes Reimagined webpage with easy-to-read information about the challenges that Alberta’s municipal governments face. Our initial focus is to promote the project to municipalities. We will promote the project after the upcoming local elections through:  

• Featuring this information at our Convention on November 12-14
• Social media on LinkedIn and Facebook
• News media in early-2026  

How can your municipality get involved?  

Following the election, we will provide municipalities sample text and guidance on sharing the project through your website and other communications channel. In the meantime, we welcome your feedback and stories from your municipality that will help provide more meaning behind the numbers. 

Email our advocacy [at] abmunis.ca (Advocacy team) if you have a local story that you think provincial leaders or the public should be aware of. Currently, we are working with several members on stories like: 

• A village’s water system replacement costing more than debt limit
• How wastewater treatment requirements are creating a big bill for a town
• How two small communities have expanded their FCSS services
• How a town’s housing growth depends on expanding water infrastructure
• How a city’s success and risks with off-site levies 

Share your ideas and input 

We aim to raise awareness using facts and data so Albertans can have informed conversations about:  

• What services they expect in their community,
• Which level of government should pay for them, and
• How that affects their income tax or property tax.  

If you have comments or feedback on the project, please email our advocacy [at] abmunis.ca (Advocacy team). 

Thank you for helping us start this important conversation about the future of Alberta’s communities and the future of property taxes.