City seeking public input for budget 2027-30

Edmonton city council wants to know how residents would build the city's next budget.

As the city works to build the next four years of its budget, councillors are seeking input from Edmontonians about what matters most to them.

Mayor Andrew Knack said the feedback from the public will add onto conversations city council has had with partners and administration.

“There are big decisions involving billions of dollars and affecting over 1.2 million Edmontonians and council takes those decisions very seriously,” said Knack at a press conference Wednesday. “Because these decisions affect everyone, it is vital that we give the public an opportunity to weigh in.”

During his bid for mayor last fall, Knack campaigned on increasing community engagement.

“The whole idea here, starting early, is to get as much information in the hands of people earlier so that can inform their feedback,” said the mayor. “I think what we might get is a better understanding and appreciation for the trade-off conversations that we have every year.”

Stacey Padbury, deputy city manager and chief financial officer said public engagement is a key part of the year-long budget building process.

“As we build the budget, we’re considering the costs of every decision that we make and the impact it has on Edmontonians who rely on a service or benefit from a construction project once it’s complete,” said Padbury. “We’re also looking at efficiencies before we recommend any budget increases.”

A budget balancing tool and other education materials as well as a survey became available to Edmontonians Monday and is open until May 1.

Drop-in public engagement sessions will take place in each ward during April. Dates can be found here.