2026 Budget
What matters most to Calgarians
Council has approved Calgary’s 2026 Budget after hearing from residents about the need to keep costs down and maintain essential services. In response, Council lowered the proposed property tax increase and invested in key areas including Public Safety, Transit, Infrastructure and Housing to support a growing city. This budget reflects community input and continues the four-year plan already in place.
Making life more affordable
To help Calgarians manage rising living costs, Council approved key affordability measures:
- Reduced tax increase: Lowered the overall tax revenue increase by using $50 million in investment income, while keeping reserves strong.
- Cancelled tax shift: Removed the planned 1 per cent tax shift from non-residential to residential properties.
As a result, the overall tax revenue increase for 2026 was reduced from the proposed 3.6 per cent to 1.6 per cent.
Key investments
These are a total of one-time, ongoing and capital amounts.
Public safety
$94 million for:
- Downtown safety initiatives recommended by the Downtown Safety Leadership Table including daytime resources and outreach for vulnerable Calgarians.
- Investments in 9-1-1 operations.
- The Calgary Police Service to recruit more officers, replace aging vehicles and make needed facility improvements.
- Improved safety across transit including the CTrain during evening rush hour.
Transit
$76 million for:
- Increased service system-wide and on 11 key bus routes (57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 79, 80, 108, 115, 118, 194).
- The Low Income Transit Pass
- Maintenance and safety upgrades.
Infrastructure
$201 million for:
- Roads, intersection improvements and streetlights.
- Parks and playgrounds and facilities (including security and work to refine capital maintenance requirements for the historic Beltline YMCA).
- The Northeast Athletic Complex.
- The Plus 15 network.
- Ongoing work for major projects like the Green Line and Event Centre.
$1.1 billion has been previously committed to water infrastructure, supporting growth and reliability.
Housing
$106 million to expand affordable housing, including:
- A 260-unit project in Southview.
- Downtown office-to-residential conversions.
- Required infrastructure for the “Glacier A North” Growth Application.
Budget breakdown
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The operating budget pays for everyday programs and services Calgarians count on like police, fire, transit and road maintenance.
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The capital budget pays to build, fix and improve things like roads, fire stations and recreation centres. It’s part of the bigger multi-year capital plan.
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This is our longer-term plan for infrastructure spending over several years.
2026 Revenue
The City’s revenue is the money we collect to pay for services and big projects. This money comes from things like property taxes, licences and fees.
Financial impact on Calgarians
The approved budget is one part of what determines property tax bills. Property Assessments will be mailed in January and show the assessed value of each property, which is used to calculate municipal property tax. The Province will then set its education property tax amount in the spring. Once all inputs are confirmed, property tax bills will be calculated and mailed in May 2026.
Municipal property tax for a typical single residential property*
| Item | 2025 monthly cost | 2026 monthly cost | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Municipal property tax per month | $224.82 | $229.32 | +$4.50 (1.6%) |
|
|
Waste & recycling and water utilities per month | $134.43 | $139.72 | +$5.29 (3.9%) |
|
Total cost |
$359.25 |
$369.04 |
+$9.79 (2.7%) |
*Based on a single residential property assessed at the median of $706,000 in 2026 with metered water usage of 19m3 or 90 bathtubs full. Municipal property tax amounts are subject to change upon finalization of property assessments.
Resources
Documents
Documents
Meetings
Meetings
Budget process and timeline
Budget preview
Budget presented to Council
Public Submissions, questions of Administration and deliberations