SUNDRE – Town council approved the Parkland Regional Library System’s proposed 2024 budget, which calls for an increase to the per capita rate paid by member municipalities including Sundre.
The library system is run by a board that is responsible for developing conservative budget estimates. However, the board does not have the power to unilaterally increase the per capita requisition from member municipalities.
As per Parkland’s membership agreement, two-thirds of member municipalities representing two-thirds of the population are needed to approve an increase in the per capita requisition.
“Parkland held the requisition at $8.55 for three consecutive years, with an increase in 2023 to $8.75,” Chris Albert, director of corporate services, told council during a recent council meeting.
For 2024, the proposed budget included a 43 cent increase, bringing it to $9.18.
In 2022, the rate of $8.55 per capita calculated to a population of 2,998 amounted to $25,633.
In 2023, the rate of $8.75 per capita calculated to a population of 2,616 totalled $22,890.
Looking ahead to 2024, the rate of $9.18 per capita, based on an estimated population of 2,650, comes up to $24,327.
Albert told council that in order to calculate the municipal levy for 2024, the Parkland board used data obtained from population estimates supplied by the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance’s Office of Statistics and Information.
“To note, the final decision does come down to the board to approve the requisition,” he said. “The Town of Sundre would be required to pay the per capita amount as determined by the board; it is a requisition, we are required to pay what is determined.”
Albert also wanted to elaborate on why the municipality’s 2023 contribution had actually decreased compared with the year prior even though the per capita requisition had been increased.
“The reason for this is because Parkland Regional began using a different set of population statistics,” he said, adding the board began to draw its data from Statistics Canada, “which is now what the province uses as well.”
However, that was not a universal experience among member municipalities.
“There have been some other communities within Parkland Regional that have not been in favour of this increase,” he said. “They are more against the use of the (population) estimates rather than the actual dollar amounts.”
Parkland’s proposed budget outlines an estimated revenue of more than $3.8 million in 2024, with membership fees by far representing the bulk of that income at about $2.1 million.
Provincial operating grant funding contributes a further $1 million, with about $453,000 coming from Alberta Rural Library Services Grant.
Expenses are broken into a list totalling support materials and services provided directly to libraries, which represents an accumulative cost of about $1.4 million, while the cost of service – which includes payroll at $1.78 million – is expected to add up to $2.4 million in 2024.
Council unanimously carried a motion approving the Parkland board’s proposed 2024 budget with the per capita rate set at $9.18.
