This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes budget consultations in Edmonton, the City of Leduc, and Strathcona County, plus Parkland County's information sessions on changes to Acheson's industrial area.
The City of Edmonton has launched three ways to get involved in its 2027-2030 budget ahead of deliberations in the fall.
"The next four-year budget will be about trade-offs and weighing the diverse needs and perspectives of over 1.2 million Edmontonians," its website reads. "We want to know what matters to you."
One way to give your input on the distribution of funding is through the city's mock budget balancing tool. The exercise prompts users to increase or decrease expenditure to services such as police, transit, or road maintenance, and to adjust revenue by increasing or decreasing taxes, revenues, or fines. As legislation requires municipalities to post a balanced budget, the tool requires users to create a budget without a surplus or deficit left over.
"We want to know how you would approach balancing the city's four-year budget," the tool's pop-up reads. "There are no wrong answers as long as you balance the budget."
The city has also launched a survey for Edmontonians to highlight their top priorities in social services, construction timelines, and user fees.
"Our key consideration is finding a balance between continuing to deliver the services Edmontonians rely on, while limiting tax increases," the survey's preamble reads.
Drop-in information sessions will also be held throughout the month of April at schools, recreation centres, and community halls across all 12 wards. All forms of public engagement will be gathered until May 1, and will be shared with city council as the budget is formed in the fall. Staff from each branch and department gave in-depth budget presentations to council throughout March.
"City council is looking forward to talking to Edmontonians about the budget," Mayor Andrew Knack said in a March 25 press release. "Public engagement is vital to building a budget that reflects the demands of our growing city."
See below for links to budget consultations in the City of Leduc and Strathcona County.
The City of Edmonton is asking for input on its upcoming 2027-2030 budget. (Sara Sheydwasser)
Here are some other opportunities to provide input in the Edmonton metro region:
- Until March 27: Leduc County has launched its citizen satisfaction survey.
- Until March 27: St. Albert is seeking input on housing as it drafts updates to its land use bylaw to diversify housing options.
- Until March 29: Devon RCMP have issued a policing priorities survey.
- Until March 30: Edmonton is gathering information about traffic safety concerns in Abbottsfield and Rundle Heights, Argyll, Casselman and McLeod, Lendrum Place, and Terrace Heights for the Vision Zero Street Labs project.
- Until March 31: The City of Leduc has launched its annual budget planning and citizen satisfaction survey.
- April 7 to 23: Parkland County is holding a series of information sessions on the Acheson Industrial Area Structure Plan, and has launched a survey to gather feedback about the area.
- Until April 10: Fort Saskatchewan is looking for input on a new land use bylaw and will be holding town halls on March 30 and April 1.
- April 12: The City of Edmonton is looking for input on naturalization planting in the southwest neighbourhoods of Allard, Cavanagh, Callaghan, and Desrochers.
- April 13: The City of Leduc is holding a public hearing on proposed amendments to the municipal development plan.
- Until April 18: Strathcona County is inviting residents to take its 2026 budget survey.
"Your turn" is Taproot's weekly collection of public engagement opportunities in the Edmonton region. Watch this space every Friday for opportunities to make your views known. If you know of a request for public input, send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca.