WESTLOCK – Westlock County Council approved the 2025 interim operating budget of $21.1 million and capital budget of $1.956 million during their regular meeting on Dec. 10.
Westlock County Chief Administrative Officer Tony Kulbisky said council will have more discussions about the capital budget during their January Committee of the Whole meeting.
“It’s interim. We will have further discussions.”
Council was initially presented with a $1,841,635 capital budget in November, which consisted of eight capital projects. During the operating budget meeting on Dec. 3, administration recommended adding $415,000 for five more capital projects but council opted to remove the Tawatinaw preparation site project for $50,000, and one water tender for $250,000.
Of the $1,956,635 interim capital budget, approximately $1,731,428 is expected to come from grants, $15,000 from sales proceeds, and $210,207 from reserves.
Items in the capital budget include IT servers, asset management plan and software, one water tender, and fire standpipes. There will also be upgrades to Westlock County playgrounds, the Tawatinaw Ski Hill, Long Island Lake, and the Rainbow Park Facility. Other capital projects include the purchase of a vehicle for the transportation services department, road and bridge rehabilitation, and improvements to 49A Street in Vimy.
The operating budget will increase by about 1.3 per cent from last year’s operating budget of $20.9 million, said General Manager of Corporate Services Faraja Amanda.
For its 2025 operating budget, the county expects to receive approximately $11,532,127 in municipal taxes. This is about $118,627, or one per cent, less than the previous year.
