Following months of consultation and review, County of Stettler council passed its 2023 budget during its Feb. 8 meeting.
The budget process for the 2023 year began in the summer of 2022 when the county sought ratepayer feedback by way of a survey. While the surveys were being completed, each of the individual departments in the organization were considering their needs for the following year.
Draft budgets were submitted by all departments by the end of October, at which point council began reviewing them in November, December, and January.
The proposed final budget was final released to the public during a public presentation on Jan. 12.
According to Christa Cornelssen, the director of corporate services for the County of Stettler, the budget presented during the February meeting was very similar to the last document which had been reviewed in January, though it did feature “some adjustments.”
Some of the adjustments mentioned include capital items intended for purchase in 2022 which were pushed to 2023 due to the ongoing global supply chain issues.
Some items transferred to 2023 include some ongoing work in Botha and Gadsby, the replacement of some county-owned fence line, and the purchase of a new protective services vehicle which was delayed to spring spring.
Budget documents released with meeting’s agenda package indicate that the county is anticipating revenue of $19.1 million against expenses of just under $14.6 million in 2023.
In 2022, the actual budget shows $19.3 million in revenues and $15.1 million in expenses.
The full budget can be found on the County of Stettler website.