Annual provincial grant funding for municipalities has both Innisfail and Penhold getting a slightly larger payout in 2012.
Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding is usually used towards infrastructure projects and other community upgrades or programs.
This year, Innisfail's slice of the funds went up about $20,000. The 2012 total is $1,608,887; 2011's total was $1,588,440.
"We did see a slight increase," said Jim Romane, Innisfail's mayor.
The majority of the funds are for capital projects. The $1.46 million received for capital projects will be used almost entirely for one project.
"We're actually dedicating all of the MSI grant to the downtown project," Romane said.
Council put out a tender for the $3.4 million Phase 1 reconstruction project on Feb. 13.
In previous years the capital funding has been used to upgrade services in the residential areas, tackling four or five blocks at a time, Romane said.
Romane said the $121,527 received for operating funds will be used for community programs like the community bus.
He said it's hoped the MSI funding continues to remain stable but noted there is an election on the horizon.
"There's no written guarantee," Romane said, adding that municipalities are "very dependent" on the MSI funding.
Penhold's MSI funding went up about $2,000 over the previous year.
"It's great to see we're getting an increase," said Dennis Cooper, Penhold's mayor.
He said he'd thought the recently released census results, which showed Penhold's population going up over 20 per cent since 2006, would have more of an impact.
"I was hoping to see a bigger increase because of our population bump," Cooper said.
Penhold is to receive a total of $579,113 from MSI funding this year, up from last year's $577,714. This year's capital portion is $452,228.
Cooper said capital funding is to be put towards sewage infrastructure and drainage issues. The operating funds were already incorporated into the 2012 budget, he said.
According to a Municipal Affairs press release, the provincial government is handing out $472 million in MSI funds across Alberta. The release says the portion each municipality receives is based on a formula that takes into account population, education property taxes and total kilometres of roads.
