SUNDRE – The municipality’s 2025 requisition for the Parkland Regional Library System has increased by $2,858 over this year’s contribution while provincial funding remains flatlined.
Town council recently approved the library system’s 2025 budget as proposed by the governing board that is comprised of 64 member municipalities including Sundre. The proposed budget included a $0.63 per capita increase and a return to population estimates from Municipal Affairs that will see Sundre contributing $26,212 in 2025 as compared with $23,354 in 2024.
The move came by way of motion on Sept. 30 during a regular meeting with one member of council opposed.
Providing background information outlined in council’s agenda package for the meeting, chief administrative officer Linda Nelson said Parkland’s board endeavours to develop a budget using conservative estimates within the constraints of a policy framework and an agreement with the membership.
“They require a two-thirds vote in favour by the membership, and if the vote passes then that’s the requisition that we’ll get,” Nelson later explained during a brief discussion.
The proposed $0.63 increase to the municipal per capita requisition brought up the total to $9.81, and the levy for 2025 was determined using the population estimates and projects supplied by the Office of Statistics and Information at Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, she said.
“Despite the increase in the per capita requisition, the actual increase to municipalities above what they paid in 2024 will be negligible. Eighteen municipalities will actually see decreases,” reads part of the notes outlined in Parkland’s proposed budget.
“For calculating the municipal levy for 2025, Parkland will be using the newly revived Alberta Municipal Affairs most recent official population list,” the documentation states in part.
The per capita increase was already accounted for in the municipality’s own budget projections for 2025, said Nelson, adding administration’s recommendation was to approve it.
Coun. Todd Dalke, who also sits on the library system’s board as Sundre’s representative, so moved to that effect.
Coun. Owen Petersen asked about the change regarding the source of population estimates that are used to calculate the requisition.
“Is this a good move,” asked Petersen.
“It’s what they have to do; it’s what’s been requested from Alberta Munis,” answered Dalke.
“They were trying to get that updated just because they feel that it was not as accurate as it could be, and that’s all it is,” he said, adding the idea was to use the most recent population estimates available.
Sundre’s population in the 2024 budget was 2,544 that translated to a requisition amounting to $23,354 with the revised number in the 2025 budget increased to reflect a population of 2,672 for a total requisition of $26,212, or about $2,858 more.
Coun. Connie Anderson was surprised by the amount budgeted for payroll.
Dalke pointed out that cost factors in the expense for of all of the 64 member municipalities’ library staff.
As per the budget documentation provided by the board, salaries in 2024 amounted to almost $1.78 million with that expense expected to increase to $1.83 million in 2025, with salary benefit representing a further $376,916 in 2024 and $387,644 in 2025.
The total income from this year’s budget was $3.8 million, with the proposed 2025 budget forecasting $3.9 million. Membership fees in 2024 covered about $2.12 million with that amount forecast to increase to $2.18 million in 2025.
A provincial operating grant in 2024 provided another $1.05 million with that number expected to remain unchanged in 2025. The Alberta Rural Library Services Grant contributed $452,928 in 2024, which is also expected to remain the same with a zero increase for 2025.
Coun. Chris Vardas inquired as to the process involved in raising any concerns council might have.
“It is a board,” said mayor Richard Warnock.
“So therefore we give our recommendations to concerns to our representative – our representative is our voting member as well,” said Warnock.
But even though the town has a vote, as is the case with any other boards, a decision that receives majority support passes, he said.
Dalke’s motion carried with Anderson opposed.
According to the documentation included with board’s proposed budget, the library system’s “largest planned purchase is for computer hardware from the technology reserve with expenditures estimated to be valued at $250,400.”
That project includes a hardware upgrade for libraries that is deemed necessary to maintain stable SuperNet connections.
