Airdrie Minute: Issue 85

Airdrie Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Airdrie politics

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• City Council is preparing to deliberate on the proposed 2026 budget, which includes a potential 6.6% property tax increase. The proposed Operating Budget is $297 million, while the Capital Budget is $214 million. The budget was built using a “growth plus inflation” model to keep services predictable as Airdrie continues to grow by roughly 5,000 residents per year. City Manager Horacio Galanti said the budget aims to balance inflation and supply challenges while advancing key projects, including the Inspire facility, Highland Park Fire Station, and Southwest Recreation Centre. Council will hold budget deliberations on November 24th, 26th, and 28th, with residents invited to submit questions by November 17th. We'll have more information for you soon!
  
  
• Volunteer Airdrie has requested $5,000 in financial assistance and in-kind support for volunteer recruitment, awareness, and recognition events. The organization is also seeking two annual fee waivers for City-run event spaces, as well as Genesis Place passes and Bert Church Theatre tickets to use as door prizes. Last year, Volunteer Airdrie received $20,000 in funding, which covered expenses such as volunteer T-shirts, monthly awards, and large appreciation events at Bert Church Theatre and Brella Vida. Those events cost roughly $4,700 and $8,000 respectively, including food, gifts, and entertainment. Council accepted the presentation for information, with a decision expected at the end of November. Volunteer Airdrie currently has 1,635 registered volunteers, including 140 active youth participants, and continues to grow by about one volunteer per week.
  
  
• The Alberta Municipalities (ABMunis) Convention and Trade Show is being hosted this week in Calgary, from November 12th to 14th. As part of the agenda, several municipalities have put forward resolutions to provide direction on what issues ABMunis should advocate for on their behalf to the Province and the federal government. Several members have submitted resolutions including Airdrie, whose proposal for Municipal Accommodation Tax Implementation argues that Alberta municipalities face increasing infrastructure and tourism marketing costs without sufficient revenue tools. Other provinces, including Ontario, BC, Quebec, and Manitoba, already allow local governments to apply accommodation taxes on hotel stays. The resolution calls on the Government of Alberta to amend the Municipal Government Act to explicitly permit municipalities to implement MATs through local bylaws, giving them flexibility to set tax rates, collection methods, and spending priorities, while ensuring transparency and accountability. Airdrie estimates a 2% MAT could generate $800,000 - $1 million annually for medium-sized cities, with larger or tourism-heavy municipalities seeing even greater revenue. The proposal was seconded by the Town of Fox Creek.
  
  
• Airdrie is confronting a growing affordable housing crisis, with projections showing a 74.5% increase in households needing affordable housing by 2031. To address this, the City launched a public dialogue campaign between April and July 2025, gathering over 580 community contributions to better understand residents’ knowledge and views on housing affordability. City Affordable Housing Team Leader Jessica DeVreeze says that affordable housing includes both private market and subsidized options, as well as supportive housing that combines affordability with provincial support services. She also says that affordable housing developments should be viewed as positive community milestones and noted that the City’s next steps involve implementing strategies already outlined in its existing action and investment plans. 
  
  
• Speaking of housing, Airdrie’s housing market saw prices fall slightly in October as inventory levels climbed and sales slowed, according to the Calgary Real Estate Board. The city recorded 535 active listings and 136 sales, leaving more than four months of supply on the market - a trend that has continued for several months. CREB said the increase in available homes, coupled with strong competition from new builds, has put downward pressure on resale prices. The benchmark home price in Airdrie dropped to $520,400 in October, nearly 1% lower than the previous month and about 5% below the same time last year. Detached homes also saw modest year-over-year declines, suggesting that while demand remains steady, higher inventory is easing price growth and shifting the market closer to balanced conditions.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Do you see value in being part of organizations like Alberta Municipalities, which advocate on behalf of cities and help shape provincial and federal policy? 

What do you think of Airdrie’s resolution at the Alberta Municipalities Conference? 

Reply and let us know!

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