PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — The City of Prince Albert’s Budget Committee has completed its three-day deliberation process for the 2026 municipal budget, reducing the amount required from property taxes after a detailed examination of departmental spending and cost pressures across the organization.
The committee began its review with an initial projected taxation requirement of $4,422,153. Following internal adjustments, targeted reductions and policy discussions, that figure has been lowered by $1,112,686 to $3,309,467, representing a significant shift aimed at easing the financial burden on local residents.
City officials said the reduction reflects months of internal scrutiny as departments confronted cost pressures linked to aging infrastructure, capital needs, and ongoing inflation.
“Our City faces very real challenges. We have aging facilities and other infrastructure that require maintenance, capital requirements for new fire and police stations and growing citizen expectations when it comes to services like bylaw response, police service and snow clearing,” said Sherry Person, City Manager. “We recognize the financial challenges facing households due to sustained inflation in recent years, and we have worked diligently to minimize the impact on residents while ensuring the City remains on a solid foundation as we plan for the future.”
The City’s internal spending review, completed earlier this year, produced more than $2.1 million in savings while maintaining the core municipal services residents rely on daily. Person emphasized that these types of reviews are becoming a more common part of municipal financial planning as cities face rising operational demands.
“The spending review was designed to challenge departments to dig deeper than usual to find savings. This kind of spending review is a big effort. Still, it is increasingly becoming an expected part of refining our operations to ensure we are spending taxpayer dollars effectively,” said Person.
Mayor Bill Powalinsky acknowledged the extensive work done by administration ahead of the committee’s budget deliberations, noting that staff had already implemented significant cuts before councillors began their review.
“City Council worked hard to find places to cut, but the reality is that Administration has spent months doing detailed internal reviews and tightening department budgets wherever possible. We appreciate the work they’ve done to keep costs down while protecting the services residents rely on.” – Mayor Bill Powalinsky
Major Cost Drivers Identified
Several key pressures are contributing to the increased spending requirements in the 2026 budget. Among them:
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$524,300 — Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre operations, including savings realized from the Frank Dunn and Dave Steuart arenas.
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$2.51 million — Salaries, wages and benefits for City departments.
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$723,853 — Increased funding for Prince Albert Police Service.
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$1 million — West lane rehabilitation of the 6th Avenue Viaduct.
The viaduct rehabilitation project, one of the largest single budget items, is intended to address structural degradation that Public Works officials warn could become significantly more costly if not addressed soon. The funding will allow the City to engage a bridge engineering specialist, undertake a full assessment and develop a detailed remediation plan ahead of construction in 2026.
“While the overall viaduct structure is in good condition, these areas pose financial and operational risks if not dealt with promptly. To clarify, fires under the bridge recently are not good for the bridge structure, but they are not the compelling reason this work needs to be completed.” – Jeff DaSilva, Director of Public Works.
Next Steps Toward Final Budget Approval
The Budget Committee’s recommendations will move to City Council for final approval at a meeting scheduled for December 15, 2025. Once adopted, Council will then turn its attention to finalizing the municipal tax tools and rates that determine how the approved budget will be funded.
Those decisions — including options for minimum taxes, base taxes and the mill rate — will shape residents’ property tax bills for 2026.
The City also released its annual property tax timeline, outlining the steps between budget deliberations and the issuance of tax notices:
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November 2025: Budget Committee deliberations.
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December 2025: Council approval of the finalized budget.
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January 2026: Assessment notices mailed to properties with assessment changes.
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March 2026: Deadline for assessment appeals.
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April 2026: Council finalizes tax tools.
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May 2026: Property tax notices issued.
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June 2026: Property taxes due.
With budget pressures intensifying across the province and households still adjusting to ongoing inflation, Prince Albert’s efforts to reduce its tax requirement reflects a broader municipal trend of balancing rising operational demands with affordability concerns. City officials say the 2026 plan aims to stabilize long-term financial planning while maintaining essential services for residents.