Town of Picture Butte passes 2025 operating and capital budgets

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

With increases in costs of living and overall expenses, the Town of Picture Butte is doing what it can to help its residents, by passing an operating budget with a 10 per cent increase in 2025.

Town councillors passed the 2025-2027 operating and the 2025-2030 capital budgets at the March 10 regular council meeting.     

“In 2024 we had an operational surplus of $355,000. Of that, $218,000 will be put in reserves to help fund lagoon upgrades and other projects with the remaining amount funding operational priorities in 2025,” said Town of Picture Butte CAO Keith Davis. “We have one of the lowest tax rates in southern Alberta (and) we’re trying to be fiscally responsible. We have pressures due to increasing costs, while also trying to provide services that the residents want and need and we’re trying to do it in a fiscally responsible way.” 

The 2025 operating budget has an overall increase of about 10 per cent, noted Davis and  includes increases to the education tax, policing and seniors requisitions as well as increases to carbon tax, utilities, insurance, fuel, labour, reserve transfers and cost increases to purchasing goods and services.

The Town of Picture Butte’s capital budget for 2025 totals $1,100,000 and will allocate funds for several projects including replacing a public works vehicle, a line painter for painting pedestrian crossings and parking stalls, replacing one fire hydrant and a back up distribution pump at the town’s water distribution centre. It will also help replace water meters in town and update the Town of Picture Butte’s Infrastructure Master Plan for another 10 years.

Other capital projects include sidewalk replacement, replacing a riding mower in the parks department and extending the CPR trail to Rogers Ave. The town will also replace a fire pump for wildfires and set aside a deposit on purchasing a new ambulance for Picture Butte.  

Davis said the tax mill rate is returning this year to what it was in 2023 –  which was 7.11 and in 2024 the mill rate dropped to 6.53. Thus, residents will see a slight increase the town’s tax mill rate to 7.11 in 2025.  As a result, there will be an average increase of $284 over last year, for the average homeowner in Picture Butte. 

“That will fluctuate depending on how your assessment is, but when we look at a cross section of properties within the municipality, the average increase is about $284 for the year,” said Davis, noting that amount applies only to the municipal portion of the taxes and  excludes the policing and education requisitions, and equates to about a 10 per cent increase, including the increase in assessment.