Town of Olds Residents Share Priorities for the 2027 Municipal Budget

More than 300 residents of Olds participated in the 2027 Budget Engagement Survey this past summer, sharing their priorities and perspectives on municipal services, taxation, community safety, infrastructure, and recreation facilities.

The annual survey provides residents with an opportunity to have input on the municipal budget by identifying service priorities and highlighting community needs.

“Resident feedback helps Council better understand the community’s priorities,” said Alvin Allim, CPA, Director of Corporate Services. “Understanding what matters most to the people of Olds supports informed decisions as Council considers service levels and investment priorities.”

Key Engagement Findings:

• Core infrastructure is the highest priority. Roads and water and wastewater infrastructure were the strongest priorities, ranked first by 41.9% and 40.3% of respondents, respectively. Participants emphasized maintaining and renewing existing assets before investing in less essential projects.
• Residents want reliable services while keeping taxes affordable. Approximately 45.2% supported maintaining current services with moderate tax increases when necessary, while 43.2% preferred minimizing increases even if services or projects were reduced or delayed. Only 11.6% supported increased investment requiring higher taxes, indicating limited support for broad service expansion.
• Perceived value for taxes needs improvement. About 40.3% rated the value received from Town services as poor. Comments linked this perception to visible services, including roads, snow clearing and maintenance, as well as uncertainty about how tax dollars are spent.
• Residential snow clearing is a priority, but willingness to pay more is limited. Residential street snow removal was the most frequently identified improvement, selected by 48.7% of respondents. However, among those answering the additional-cost question, 52.9% would not pay more and 29.6% would pay an additional $1–$5 per month.
• Industrial growth is supported when it is responsible and clearly explained. Approximately 43.1% supported industrial growth if done responsibly, while 16.5% supported it without that qualification. Another 32.2% needed more information, with comments raising questions about infrastructure capacity, community impacts, jobs and potential benefits for residential taxpayers.
• Maintaining policing services is preferred over significant expansion. Property crime and traffic safety were the most common concerns among participants identifying a safety issue, although 31.3% reported no significant concerns. Respondents generally favoured maintaining current policing services, with less support for expanding resources.
• Communication needs to improve understanding of Town decisions. Facebook and the Town website were the preferred information channels, yet only 31.2% felt well or very well informed, compared with 35.6% who felt poorly or very poorly informed. The findings point to a need for clearer explanations of spending, priorities, decisions and their effects on residents.

Next Steps

Resident feedback will help inform Council and Administration as they develop the 2027 municipal budget. A draft budget will be presented this fall, with final approval anticipated in early December.

See the full report and view all comments and responses on our website under Plans & Reports.

Media Contact:

Alvin Allim
Director of Corporate Services Town of Olds
aallim@olds.ca 
Direct: 403-507-4858