(Calgary, AB) – As partners in economic prosperity and the provision of public services and infrastructure to Albertans, Alberta’s mid-sized cities require an appropriate Provincial infrastructure commitment.
Today at the Alberta Municipalities Convention, Mid-Sized Cities Mayors’ (MCMC) supported a resolution sponsored by the City of St. Albert and City of Airdrie calling on the Provincial government to expand the funding pot for the Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) in 2024, and to grow the size of the funding stream at a 1:1 ratio linked to provincial revenue.
Mid-sized municipalities are reliant on other orders of government for long-term, and stable infrastructure funding to support the completion of capital projects and improvements. Historically, the Provincial Government has provided this through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, which will be converted to the Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) in 2024 and be reduced in funding size by 25%.
“Alberta's mid-sized cities are the economic engine of the province,” said Mayor Jeff Genung of Cochrane and Chair of the Mid-Sized Cities Mayors’ caucus. “We are positioned to work with the Government of Alberta to enable economic corridors and continued prosperity across the province.”
Alberta's Mid-Sized Cities Mayors’ caucus, representing 24 municipalities and 1 million Albertans, will be exploring the development of an economic impact assessment to verify the economic value mid-sized municipalities in Alberta enable.
While a decision from the Provincial Government is forthcoming regarding the allocation formula of the $340 million of the LGFF allocated amongst all Alberta municipalities outside of Edmonton and Calgary, Mayor Genung states, “Alberta's Mid-Sized Cities Mayors’ believe the broader issue is the size of the funding pot.”
To support current and future growth, Alberta's MCMC will be exploring a new long-term partnership with the Government of Alberta to enable job creation, economic progress, and the execution of social and environmental outcomes.
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