The Town of Rocky Mountain House is reporting a solid financial start to the year, with a small operating surplus and steady progress on capital projects, according to the municipality’s March 2025 quarterly financial report.
The town ended the first quarter with an operating surplus of $344,014 — a stronger position compared to the $127,664 surplus posted at the same time last year.
In a presentation to mayor and council, Betty Quinlan, the town’s Director of Corporate Services, said revenue and expenditure levels were largely on target for this early in the year. Revenues sat at 24 per cent of budget, while expenditures came in at 21 per cent.
“There’s nothing unusual in the numbers,” Quinlan told council, adding that revenues are stable, with increased activity at town-run facilities contributing to higher usage.
“The Aquatic Centre and Arena continue to show very high levels of participation,” she said. “Since COVID, activity in these facilities has, in my mind, skyrocketed. The pool, arena and fitness centre are seeing tremendous uptake.”
Quinlan noted, the Aquatic Centre had already spent 26 per cent of its annual budget by the end of March, with the Arena close behind at 25 per cent — a sign, she said, of robust community engagement and programming.
On the capital side, the town has spent $3.3 million of its $21 million budget so far this year. A large portion of that funding is tied to the ongoing construction of the wastewater treatment plant, a major infrastructure project that is expected to be completed mid-year.
The report noted, much of the work on capital projects is done in the summer months, so the majority of invoices have yet to be received.
One unexpected win for the town came in the form of a “steal of a deal” on the purchase of a new grader.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Dean Krause said the grader had originally been budgeted at $825,000, but after going out to tender, the final price came in closer to $500,000. The town also received a higher-than-expected $150,000 in trade-in value for its old unit.
The grader alone accounts for nearly half of the town’s capital expenditures outside of the wastewater plant so far this year.
Comments