OLDS — Many residents who responded to a town survey are unhappy with road repairs and think taxes are too high for what they get. On the other hand, a strong majority are happy with the town’s revised solid waste service.
Also, just under 60 per cent of respondents say the town’s role in housing development should be to cut red tape and other barriers to spur housing development.
And 63 per cent of respondents say business retention should be a key part of an economic strategy.
Those are all findings from the town’s budget survey, carried out May 27 to July 5. Results were shared with town council’s Sept. 3 committee-of-the-whole meeting.
The survey is a tool for council as it begins determining the town’s 2025 budget this fall.
A total of 379 responses were received, up from 300 in the 2023 budget survey. The largest group of respondents were homeowners between the ages of 30 and 64.
Following are key findings from the report as provided in a town news release:
• Roads are a significant concern; citizens would like to see more funding allocated to this area and more effective and efficient repairs completed.
• Many residents and business owners feel they are paying higher taxes while receiving fewer services. More work needs to be done around communicating how property taxes are spent and the growing demands being placed on Town operations through inflation and provincial funding reductions and downloading.
• Sixty-three per cent of respondents indicated they are satisfied with changes made to the solid waste service levels. Twenty-five per cent were neutral and 12 per cent were not satisfied with that service.
• Economic Development and Housing; 64 per cent of respondents said the key priorities for the incoming Economic Development Strategy should be on business retention. While 59 per cent of respondents believe the Town’s primary role in attracting housing developments by reducing red-tape and other barriers to housing development.
• Greenspace maintenance was highest within our parks and recreation (department),” corporate services director Sheena Linderman said. “Greenspaces, which include trails, playgrounds and parks was chosen by 76 per cent of respondents as the top priority among amenities and recreation services.”
• Policing priorities: “largely confirmed council’s recent updates,” Linderman said. “Public safety remains a key concern, with specific calls for more effective bylaw enforcement and visible policing,” she added.
“When I look at these charts, I see a lot of alignment with what we’ve set up as priorities in the community already,” deputy mayor James Cummings said during the meeting.
“We’re spending a lot of function on infrastructure and making sure that that’s correct, along with the safety and policing, so I’m happy to see the citizens are concerned about the same things – or we’ve been able to match up with what our citizens are concerned about in our policies that we’ve been creating lately.”
Council voted to accept the report as information.
The survey can be viewed on the Town of Olds website: www.olds.ca/engagement.
