April 28 Council Meeting Highlights

These highlights give the community a brief overview of the most significant decisions made during the recent Wetaskiwin City Council meeting. To access full Council meeting agendas, minutes, and livestreams, please visit Wetaskiwin.civicweb.net/portal 

Delegations, Staff Reports for Information, Council Attendance Reports & Correspondence  

  • Assessment Model Review – Policy Updates Alberta Municipal Affairs has introduced policy updates through the Assessment Model Review to modernize the regulated property assessment framework. These changes may affect assessed values within the City, and Administration will monitor and review their impact once they take effect in the 2027 tax year. 

2025 Audited Financial Statements  

A representative from Metrix Group LLP, the City’s appointed auditor, presented the draft 2025 Consolidated Financial Statements.  

The 2025 Audited Financial Statements, as well as audited statements from previous years, can be found at wetaskiwin.ca/finances 

Taxation of Farmland 2026  

The Municipal Government Act allows municipalities to set separate tax rates for each property class. In previous years, farmland was taxed at the residential tax rate. Taxing farmland at a higher tax rate than it has been previously, encouraging the development of these large plots of land, while more equitably spreading the tax burden.  

Council set the 2026 farmland tax rate at 10 times the 2026 residential rate in the 2026 Tax Rate Bylaw.  

2026 Tax Recovery Reserve Bid (Tax Sale)  

Council annually approves reserve bids and conditions for a tax recovery sale to take place for properties on the arrears list.  

The Tax Recovery Sale Auction will take place on August 12, 2026, at 10 a.m. at Wetaskiwin City Hall in Council Chambers.  

2026 Property Tax Bylaw 2107-26 

Council approved all three readings of the 2026 Tax Rate Bylaw 2107-26, which levied taxes totaling $22.23 million for the municipal portion of taxes. This amount includes additional taxes raised from the increase to the farmland tax rate.