City leaders react to budget survey results from Edmontonians
Posted September 9, 2026 10:53 am.
Edmonton city councillors dove into budget feedback from Edmontonians on Tuesday.
Survey results show taxpayers expect the same level of city services for what they’re currently paying.
But what does that mean for budget debates in December?
“I was clear with folks that I didn’t want to see the same level of increases that we saw in the four-year budget that we’re currently finishing up,” said Mayor Andrew Knack.
Edmonton’s mayor says homeowners will still see property tax increases this year, just not as big of an increase as in the past handful of years. It’s a relief for some, as there is a $500,000 budget surplus in the latest financial update.
The city surveyed taxpayers, who asked to prioritize services.
“Edmontonians are looking for snow removal. They’re looking for pathway change. They’re looking for summer sweeps,” said Thu Parmar, the councillor for Ward sipiwiyiniwak.
The survey found respondents want the city to focus on delivering core services as opposed to initiatives like economic development and inclusion.
But there’s less of a consensus around what taxpayers consider a core service.
Parmar tells CityNews she and others on council will be looking at raising user fees for city attractions and services, and fines to balance out the property tax increase and budget pressures.
“And so we are gonna be looking at user fees all through our budget and how we can increase them reasonably,” Parmar said. “As you heard as well, cost of gas and tariffs have also caused some uncertainty in the budget.
“And so we’re gonna be watching that very closely.”
More than half of those surveyed say they’d support reduced spending for Edmonton police — the single largest line item in the city’s budget.
Councillor Michael Janz says he’s encouraged by those results, saying that money could be better spent on social services to keep Edmonton’s vulnerable population out of the justice system.
“Talking to what our business owners, talking to other residents, they’re looking for safety solutions,” said Janz. “They know that police aren’t always that solution. They know sometimes as well that the police are jammed up with the court system and everything else.”
But with a small surplus and upcoming budget debates, Mayor Knack says he and others on council are still waiting to hear how Edmonton’s weather may impact budget talks.
“Lots of things to still navigate,” he said. “This is before we saw a lot of the rain in July that impacted us. So there’s gonna be a lot of moving pieces.”
