Official web site of The City of Calgary

Managing City finances

Managing City finances

Keeping the cost of municipal government low

As Calgary’s population continues to grow and rising inflation increases the costs to delivery City services, The City is committed to delivering services that meet the needs of Calgarians, support our economy and reduce the cost of local government.

Since 2014, The City has managed our tax-supported operating expenditures to ensure we’re delivering valued services near or below population and inflation growth. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In the chart below, tax-supported operating expenditures is represented by the solid black line titled “Actual”.

Meeting the needs of Calgarians in a fiscally responsible way

It’s projected that between 2022 and 2026 Calgary will add more people to our city than the entire population of Airdrie. And inflation is forecasted to increase at a rate of 2 per cent each year from 2023 to 2026.  This means we must work hard to ensure we’re meeting the needs of Calgarians in a fiscally responsible way.

The Solutions for Achieving Value and Excellence (SAVE) program  is a strategic approach to cost-savings that supports The City’s financial sustainability and Administration’s commitment to delivering modern and affordable municipal services to Calgarians while also supporting our long-term purpose of making life better every day. Through SAVE’s strategic approach of modernizing services there has been $177 million in permanent reduction achieved since 2019. 

Learn more

Our finances

Working hard to ensure Calgarians receive outstanding value for their property tax dollars. Learn how it all comes together.

Calgary comparison

How our property tax and utility charges measure up nationally.

City employees

Managing our head count despite Calgary’s growing population.
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