Edmonton ward budgets falling behind other jurisdictions, say some councillors

Edmonton ward budgets haven’t been reviewed in 13 years, and now some councillors say the outdated funding is making it hard to serve their residents.

On Friday, council asked administration to take a fresh look at ward budgets and the mayor’s office funding, with a detailed service package to follow.

Coun. Aaron Paquette reminded colleagues that ward budgets have seen virtually no overhaul since 2012 — the only changes have come from negotiated staff salary bumps. The current allocation sits at $209,169, a modest increase from $204,630 in 2024.

“We have absolutely not kept up with population growth or inflation,” said Paquette. “One thing that we hear a lot, or we did over the summer, was that folks were feeling less and less connected to decisions at city hall. One of the issues around that is the inability of councillor offices to have appropriate budgets with which to communicate with the public and to ensure there’s regular newsletters going out. All of that costs. It costs staff time, it costs councillor time, it costs money for printing, for mail-outs, that sort of thing.”

Paquette added that the pressures on ward offices have shifted dramatically since that last review.

“The world has rapidly changed since 2012. There have been technological advancements but also technological requirements,” he said. “There are also just the very human requirements, the fact our populations have grown, there are more language needs than there have ever been, part of that is also equity. For example, I’ve heard of a councillor who needs to get some American Sign Language assistance in order to communicate with a resident, and that would come from the ward budget. With budgets constrained as they are, that suddenly becomes a difficult proposition.”

Paquette also pointed out that Calgary’s allocates $350,000 per councillor, noting that city has 15 councillors compared with Edmonton’s 12. The difference highlights how Edmonton’s ward budgets are comparatively constrained.

Travel budget laid out

In addition to funding concerns, councillors submitted requests for office furniture and weighed the $55,500 travel budget for councillors.

Edmonton is hosting the Alberta Municipalities annual convention, with estimated registration costs of $9,600, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference, which is expected to cost $17,500.

Paquette will be attending Federation of Canadian Municipalities advocacy days and board meetings in Ottawa and St. John’s, with each trip costing $3,100. Coun. Jon Morgan will be attending the Canadian Urban Transport Association spring summit and AGM in Quebec City, which will cost $5,400, the policy forum in Ottawa at $3,100, and the annual conference in Winnipeg, which will cost $4,600.

A board meeting for the Inter-City Forum on Social Policy will be attended by Coun. JoAnne Wright at an unknown date and location, but that travel has an expected cost of $1,000. Couns. Keren Tang and Michael Elliott are attending the Calgary Stampede, costing $2,000 for Tang and $3,000 for Elliott.

“In the past, usually if there’s a new council or if there’s a new provincial government, it’s been encouraged that councillors go down to the Calgary Stampede,” said Paquette. “You don’t go for the rides when you’re a politician — it’s basically the largest governmental event of the year in Canada, where all the members of government attend, so there may be further requests on the Stampede which would increase the budget.

“Sometimes there is an unwillingness for councillors to go to Stampede as it’s not understood this is an actual work process.”

Standing desks and storage units

Coun. Reed Clarke had asked for the city to cover the $350 costs of a 50-inch television but withdrew his request “because he found a sweet deal on one already.” Also included in that request were two accent chairs ($600) and a boardroom table ($1,000).

Coun. Erin Rutherford requested $2,000 for a storage unit, compared with Paquette, who only requested $550. Couns. Michael Janz, Elliott and Morgan each requested $1,750 for adjustable sit-stand desks, while Coun. Anne Stevenson’s need was just $500. Morgan also sought $250 for a whiteboard.

Tang asked for $1,028 for a furniture suite including a sofa, loveseat, standing mat, heater and coffee table.

Councillors voted 12-0 to approve both the 2026 common travel plan and the 2026 furniture budget of $11,178, with Mayor Andrew Knack absent.

Council had $8,749 left over from the 2025 furniture budget which can be drawn on for the furniture before the end of the year. To use the 2025 budget, the items must be received by the city before the end of the year. Wright put a motion forward for administration to explore more funding sources, including carrying forward the remaining balance from 2025. That was passed 11-0 with Rutherford voting against and Knack absent.

ebowling@postmedia.com

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