St. Albert city council deserves to be commended for next year’s budget, which kept the tax increase at only 0.4 per cent.
This continues the trend of the last few years, when we had an increase of 2.4 per cent last year and 2.1 per cent in 2017.
At one point in December, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson complained about how low our tax increase was compared to Edmonton’s. City manager Kevin Scoble cited the city’s efforts to find cost efficiencies as one of the main reasons we were able to keep the increase to a minimum.
The city’s efforts to minimize tax increases and find cost efficiencies are an important part of the legacy of the St. Albert Taxpayers’ Association’s civic activism. SATA was a dogged and effective voice on behalf of citizens who were concerned about being able to afford their property taxes, and about the city’s long-term fiscal sustainability.
To put SATA’s work in context, we need to remember what was happening in St. Albert 10 to 15 years ago.
The city’s annual tax hikes were much higher than they were now, such as 5.81 per cent in 2002, 5.08 per cent in 2003, 6.4 per cent in 2007, 5.9 per cent in 2008 and a whopping 13.38 per cent increase in 2005.
That prompted a large group of frustrated citizens to organize into what would become SATA. This group wasn’t just made up of conservative citizens annoyed at having to pay higher taxes.
Environmentalist Elke Blodgett was a regular staple at SATA meetings, and no one who knew her could accuse her of being a hard-right conservative. When I asked her why she was there, her answer was simple – she was concerned about being able to afford her property taxes.
Deane Doucette was a member of SATA’s board of directors, but he was also an active member of the Liberal party.
SATA’s lobbying consisted of everything from protest marches to presentations to council to letters to local newspapers like the Gazette and newsletters explaining issues with city spending and budgeting.
A key message was that the city should focus on “core” spending over “nice-to-have” projects to reduce the residential tax demand. Notably, “core” spending could also consist of spending to benefit disadvantaged members of the community, such as lower-income residents or people with disabilities.
SATA is gone, but its legacy remains. The city’s annual tax increases have drastically decreased, such as 0.2 per cent in 2014, 1.8 per cent in 2015 and 0.6 per cent in 2016.
Last year, the proposed branch library was defeated by a grassroots effort of thousands of citizens, who forced the library to become a plebiscite question and voted it down.
Mayor Cathy Heron has spoken to the Gazette in recent weeks about the potential infrastructure deficit we’ll be facing in the next few years. Council would benefit from remembering SATA’s advice about focusing our tax dollars on core needs and minimizing spending on “nice-to-have” things over the next few years.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
Jared Milne is a St. Albert resident with a passion for Canadian history and politics.
