The northern Alberta town of High Level has approved a 2026 budget that reduces municipal taxes by 3.8 percent after finding more than $1 million in savings.
The budget, presented to council last month, was approved on Monday according to a news release issued by the municipality.
For an average property, the town said the budget represents a tax saving of about $18 per month. Fees, charges and utility rates were held at 2025 levels.
The reduction is in large part attributable to a huge shift in the consultancy and professional services budget for the town’s planning and development division.
The division budgeted $1.5 million for those services in 2025 (though it only ended up spending about $600,000) and has now reduced the line item to $450,000 this year, describing that as a “reduction to actual identified projects.”
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Overall, the budget projects revenue of $19.4 million, expenditures of $17.4 million and about $2 million being transferred to the town’s reserves.
