LAC LA BICHE COUNTY RELEASE:
After holding three Special Council Meetings dedicated to budget deliberations, Lac La Biche County Council approved the 2025 municipal budget at the December 3, 2024 Regular Council Meeting.
Operating expenditures for 2025 are set at $69,641,376, which includes $8,486,148 towards debenture payments for capital projects. This is an approximately $2 million decrease in our operational budget from 2024, resulting in significant savings to taxpayers without affecting County service levels. The 2025 operational budget is based on a 0% property tax increase, which represents our community’s social and economic resiliency, and Council’s com-mitment to keeping life affordable while maintaining all the high-quality municipal programs and services that our residents rely upon.
The total 2025 capital project budget (including pre-approved projects like phase three of the Lac La Biche Main Street Revitalization Project, continued construction on the new Aquatics Centre at the Bold Centre, and phase three of the McArthur Park Redevelopment Project) is $60,676,059. The following are a few highlights, based on Council’s strategic priorities for our community:
- Continuing the Lac La Biche Golf Course Development project, which will keep our top-quality course in good repair for years to come.
- Water and sewer projects to augment our quality utilities services.
- A revamp of the Lac La Biche Water Tower.
- A variety of roads and trails, including the Pleasant Acres Subdivision’s base and pave, a walking trail north of Plamondon connecting to the hamlet, and the first phase of the Campsite Road base and pave.
- To improve quality of life in our community, a Bold Centre Sports Field trail and parking paving project and a snowmobile staging area near the Bold Centre are included.
“The Lac La Biche County Advantage continues to be reflected in Council’s budget each year,” says Mayor Paul Reutov. “By focusing on finding efficiencies while delivering the same services, we have saved more than $5 mil-lion in two years. Over the past several years and into our foreseeable future, we are seeing new investments in our community and continued growth; we have seen the numbers of public complaints go drastically down. In Lac La Biche County, we are fortunate to be able to offer the best of both worlds: top-quality municipal services while saving significant taxpayer dollars.”
A full summary of the budget will be posted on the County’s website in the coming weeks.
