Following council deliberations last week, Cochrane is looking at a 2.98 per cent tax increase for 2019. A final vote to adopt the budget is set for Dec. 10 council. The budget is flagged as status quo – keeping up with growth while beefing up the infrastructure reserve fund. Administration, under the direction of CAO Dave Devana, had recommended a two per cent contribution to the town, which was pared back to 1.5 per cent to keep the total hike under three per cent. Anticipated highlights include an on-demand transit system (summer 2019), hiking gross pay for council so take home pay remains the same (due to federal tax law changes affecting take-home pay for elected officials) and new staffing hires – including in departments that have not seen new positions created in several years. The town's 10-year financial strategy, with a focus on multi-modal transportation initiatives, includes $103 million in transportation-related projects. Focus remains on prioritizing infrastructure related to growth, including roads, as well as maintaining or beefing up existing services. The Bow River bridge project is on track for 2020, with James Walker Trail extension planned for 2024; the railway pedestrian crossing project to connect the Quarry and Historic Downtown is set for 2020; the Centre Ave north widening to four lanes to mitigate traffic is slated for 2021; Horse Creek pedestrian crossing for 2019; intersection improvements at Highway 1A and Centre Ave for 2022; and an additional $26 million for road improvement projects over the next decade. Significant projects include the purchase of 130 acres for recreational purposes, north of Heritage Hills; a new RCMP detachment (primarily tax-funded) in 2020; deployment of fibre optic cable that is town-owned to support economic development; and twinning of the wastewater pipe to Calgary (2020-2028) and water capacity upgrades (2025/2027). Couns. Morgan Nagel, Alex Reed and Pat Wilson repeatedly expressed concerns that the town will see a tax hike in an economic downturn. The three-year rolling budget for 2019-2021 is based on an assumed four per cent growth rate. Only a handful of people attended the two budget cafes held by the town on Nov. 5. Learn more at cochrane.ca/budget.
