Issues

Excellence is not accomplished through complacency and mediocrity.

We can do better.

A picture can be worth a thousand words.  (All of our graphs use independent, third-party information provided by Statistics Canada, the City and its annual audited financial reports: see our Data Sheet.)

Corporation of the City of Red Deer Operating Expenses

From 2003 to 2018, the population of Red Deer increased from 72,691 to about 99,832, an increase of 37.34%. During this same period, Alberta’s inflation rate increased 34.67%. Therefore, combined growth in Red Deer’s inflation and population for 2003 to 2016 was about 72.01%.

Compare this 72% increase with exponential increases in our City’s operational expenses (less depreciation) for 2003 to 2018, about $90 million in 2003 exploding to over $283 million in 2018, an increase of over 215%!

Our City is failing to bring its spending under control commensurate to the challenging financial realities faced by many Red Deer taxpayers.

We should be able to expect our City to hold itself to similar standards of financial stewardship and responsibility as expected of taxpayer businesses and households.

The area in red of more than $1.1 billion amount partially or wholly represents inefficient use or waste of taxpayer dollars by failure to keep spending increases in line with inflation and population increases since 2003. In 2018 alone, this potential inefficient use or waste of taxpayer dollars is more than $128 million!

When our City strives for excellence in its responsible use of taxpayer dollars, it makes it easier for individuals, families, and businesses in our community to do likewise.

With more careful and wise use of taxpayer dollars, the City would have both more resources to make strategic capital investments which would improve the quality of life in our broader community while enabling taxpayers to pay substantially less in property taxes.