Calgarians will soon have a better understanding of the city’s infrastructure priorities and may have a clearer path to funding a half-billion-dollar annual maintenance gap.

Calgary city councillors approved two notices of motion at this week’s Regular Meeting of Council that pave the way for a rolling 10-year capital plan and prioritizing reinvestment in city infrastructure.

The latter didn’t come without debate, as the bulk of Communities First members of council voted against the reinvestment plans, with one member saying it would increase Calgary property taxes.

The motions, previously reported on by LiveWire Calgary, lay the foundation for the City of Calgary to have a detailed priority list that captures projects from key areas within the corporation – roads, water, recreation, etc.  The reinvestment motion requests the establishment of a criterion, the identification of funding sources, a plan for implementation, and an increase in the amount allocated to reserves for future capital and lifecycle maintenance.

It’s an issue, according to the latest spring survey of citizens, that tops citizens’ minds.

When asked: “In your view, as a resident of the city of Calgary, what is the most important issue facing your community, that is, the one issue you feel should receive the greatest attention from your local leaders?” 33 per cent had it as first mention, or one of their mentions. Nineteen per cent had it as first mention (top overall), well ahead of second place, Crime, Safety and Policing, according to the survey.

“Calgarians rely on the city’s infrastructure every day for safe commutes, access to green spaces, reliable public transit and well-maintained facilities behind the scenes,” said Coun. Evan Spencer, who brought forward the infrastructure reinvestment plan.

“We have pressing issues that have been mounting. They’re not so behind the scenes anymore. Our city is falling behind on essential maintenance and reinvestment, meaning to protect these services. The reasons for this are myriad, and it’s a very long form conversation. This is not a new challenge, but the urgency is growing.”

The proposed jump in additional cash for reserves amounted to a roughly $60 million increase to be put towards infrastructure and maintenance. It’s an amount that Spencer said could have exponential results.

“Keeping a road from deteriorating to the point where you have to do a full replacement, versus just some of the more catch and repair facilities, roofs keeping water damage out of buildings, things of that nature,” he said.

“Absolutely, it can have an excellent, exponential impact for some of those long-term liabilities.”

Burden on taxpayers: Coun. Chabot

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot said Spencer’s plan to increase the amount moved over to future capital and maintenance amounted to a baked-in tax hike.

“How are we going to fix it? I don’t know, but I don’t want to put it all on the backs of Calgarians when we have other orders of government that are generating so much more revenue than we are,” Chabot said.

Instead, Chabot suggested that the City look at how it can secure more money from the provincial and federal governments before they “go back to a limited well that has limited capacity.”

He said this proposed plan amounted to borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

“I don’t disagree that delaying maintenance is going to cost us more in the long run, but I don’t. I cannot, in good conscience, say to my residents that using these different funds, which draw also from the mill rate, life cycle maintenance and upgrade reserve, the pay as you go, funding all of those reserves draw from the mill rate, so increases or reprioritizing some of those reserves doesn’t fix it.,” he said.

“It just reallocates mill rate dollars that would otherwise have gone to other programs.”

Spencer disagreed.

“We have a gap. We have to talk about the actual amount of money that is required to deal with this, and we actually have to start making plans to do so,” he said.  

“Mr. Chabot, we are not, I’m not increasing taxes. That’s not what’s in front of you. What is in front of you is pre-committing a larger portion of the pot to something that you have publicly stated is super important to you. I believe a lot of the colleagues that you run very closely with have publicly stated again and again, is super important to you.

Spencer is referring to the group of declared Communities First party members who are set to run in the upcoming municipal election. On the party’s website, they outline municipal infrastructure upgrades as one of their key priorities.

They also note that they prioritize keeping taxes and fees affordable through transparent budgeting and oversight of city administration.

According to the spring citizen survey, 52 per cent of respondents would be in favour of increasing taxes at current inflation to at least maintain services (44 per cent), with nine per cent wanting taxes increased beyond inflation to expand services.

Forty-one per cent want services cut to maintain the current tax level, or to reduce taxes further.

While the 10-year rolling capital plan motion was approved unanimously, the reinvestment strategy was not. It was split into two votes, with the first being on the creation of a plan and finding alternative funding, and the second vote on additional cash being put into reserves.

Both were approved 9-5; however, in the first vote, Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness was on the yes side and Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean on the no side. For the vote on an amendment to bolster reserves, Wyness and McLean each switched.

The amendment for extra cash will come to the July 22 Executive Meeting of Calgary city council. The 10-year capital plan and the reinvestment strategy will both come back in 2026, before the delivery of a new four-year budget.