Lethbridge Minute: Issue 294

Lethbridge Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Lethbridge politics

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• Administration is recommending that the City stop paying Economic Development Lethbridge to deliver its economic development services and build an in-house department instead. The Community Issues Committee meets tomorrow at 9:00 am, and the final report on the Economic Development Lethbridge cost benefit analysis is one of the items on the agenda. The review, carried out by Deloitte LLP alongside City Staff, found that the City's 2016 agreement with the organization set no clear service expectations, performance measures, or reporting requirements, and so could not determine whether the City's economic development goals are being met effectively, efficiently, or at a cost-benefit. It also found that the 188:1 return on investment the organization reported for 2018 to 2024 overstates its attributable impact, in part because regional projects were counted without adjustment. The City has budgeted $12,017,663 for the organization since 2016, including $1,120,699 this year. Administration estimates an in-house department would cost $863,000 to $1,035,000 a year from 2028, against $1,408,000 to $1,492,000 for a substantially revised fee-for-service agreement, a saving of roughly $457,000 to $545,000 a year. Economic Development Lethbridge has filed a written response arguing the review identified governance gaps rather than delivery failures, and asking Council to update the existing partnership rather than dismantle it.
  
  
• Lethbridge households will pay 18.05% more for wastewater in 2027 under an amending bylaw on the same agenda. The residential rate rises from $1.164 to $1.374 per cubic meter, taking the average 20 cubic meter household bill from $24.47 to $28.88 a month, an increase of $4.42. The higher rates fund the wastewater treatment plant expansion Council approved on May 26th, 2026 and the 2027 operating budget it approved on June 23rd, 2026. Home sewer inspection fees rise at the same time, from $31.93 to $112.50 for an inspection on its own and from $160 to $300 for an inspection and cleaning after hours. A revised schedule attached to the water, wastewater, and waste bylaws also raises the monthly utility administration fee from $7.00 to $8.00, adds a $2.00 charge for every printed invoice mailed out, and increases the electric disconnect and reconnect fee for non-payment from $45 to $60. Administration wants the Committee to send the bylaw to Council for first reading on September 29th, with second and third readings on December 1st.
  
  
• Water rates are also set to rise 3.0% in 2027, the second of three utility rate bylaws in front of the Committee tomorrow. The domestic consumption charge increases from $1.382 to $1.423 per cubic meter, and a household using 20 cubic meters a month would pay $40.36 instead of $39.18. That follows increases of 2% in each of the past 2 years. Commercial and regional consumption charges rise across all four volume tiers, with the rate on the first 750 cubic meters a month going from $1.229 to $1.266, while the irrigation charge climbs to $1.566 per cubic meter. The regional water transmission capital surcharge rises to $0.071 per cubic meter and the water transmission operating surcharge to $0.100. The Lethbridge Manufacturing Association and other large customers were told about the changes at scheduled meetings, and the bylaw is set for first reading on September 29th, with second and third readings on December 1st.
  
  
• Residential waste rates are the one utility charge not going up next year. The proposed amendment to the Waste Bylaw holds garbage collection, recycling, organics, landfill, and waste reduction charges for households at a 0% increase for 2027, while commercial waste collection rises 4% as set out in the last operating budget. The tipping fee for branches and stumps without roots increases from $25 to $35 a tonne to cover higher processing costs, while the fees for mixed solid waste, special waste, shingles, and lumber hold at $115, $135, $75, and $65 a tonne.
  
  
• The Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta has received a record-setting $14.2 million bequest from the estate of Marguerite Dixson. The gift will support six charities, including the Lethbridge and District Humane Society, Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association, St. John Ambulance chapters in Lethbridge and Calgary, Calgary Humane Society and Claresholm Animal Rescue Society. The funds will be invested permanently, with the annual investment income divided among the six organizations through unrestricted grants. This means the charities can decide how to use the money based on their own priorities, including veterinary care, maintenance and programming. The Lethbridge Humane Society says the predictable funding will make it easier to plan for ongoing animal-care costs. The Therapeutic Riding Association has already used some of its expected funding to purchase horses and subsidize programs for people who otherwise could not afford them.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

On October 14th, our friends at the Alberta Institute are hosting A Women's Debate On Alberta's Future - a live debate in Calgary on the question of independence.

All speakers will be women, but everyone is, of course, welcome to attend and participate.

Get your ticket, head to Calgary, and join the conversation about Alberta’s future:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!