Rocky Mountain House town council has approved the 2026 operating and capital budget with a lower-than-expected tax increase.

The approved property tax increase of 2.87 per cent is down from the budget’s starting point of 3.86 per cent, which was presented during deliberations.

For the average family, that increases property taxes by $80 per year, or $6.67 per month.

Council found savings in several areas:

• Reducing the cost of living for staffing by $64,000, which was the main driver of the decreased property tax rate
• An increase in the bulk water rate from $6.41 to $7.18 per cubic metre and a reduction in the planned monthly flat-rate increase from $34.28 to $32.11
• Reducing the capital budget for the wayfinding signage from $50,000 to $25,000

The total operating budget is nearly $29.8 million, while the capital budget is $5.4 million.

The town’s $30 million wastewater treatment plant has a number of budget implications. It is expected to cost an additional $1 million per year to operate, which was has resulted in higher utility rates. The average utility bill for a town resident is $152, which officials say is still lower than an average of $164 for comparable communities.

The wastewater treatment plant is set to come online in early 2026.

Residents will see savings as the town continues to participate in the extended producer responsibility (EPR) model for solid waste. Introduced earlier in 2025, the models makes producers responsible for the cost of recycling packaging for residential customers. Through the program, the town receives grant funding to offset the cost of recycling for both curbside pickup and the Eco Centre.

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Highlights from the capital budget include the completion of the new wastewater treatment plant, a town website redesign, an engineering plan based on the Riverview Concept Plan, and a new quonset in the public works yard.

Recreation has $1 million budgeted for parks, playgrounds and culture. That includes $100,000 towards playground upgrades, as well as an outdoor washroom near the new bike park.

Roofing repairs at the Empringham Disposal arena are earmarked to maintain the structural integrity of the building.

Around $3.6 million is set aside for transportation, airport and utility projects, as well as to improve roads, utilities and fleet equipment.

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Notably, the town will also be moving forward with concept plans for a combined civic and recreation centre.

The original plan called for a $200,000 civic centre concept design, and a separate $100,000 recreation centre design. However, council expressed a desire to consolidate the two into one, all-inclusive design.

Residents may also notice an increase in the provincial school tax requisition.

Since the beginning of 2025, the town of Rocky Mountain House has worked to have the provincial school levy separated from municipal tax bills. The town received a favorable response to the idea from delegates at the Nov. 13 Alberta Municipalities fall conference in Calgary.

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The budget was approved unanimously by council at the Dec. 16 regular meeting.