Mill rate for 2026 remains unchanged
On March 17, the RM of West St. Paul hosted its 2026 Financial Plan public hearing so that residents could learn more about what’s to come for the municipality this year.
Mayor Peter Truijen opened the meeting by welcoming residents to the meeting and then discussing what was going to take place.
“The financial plan, why is it important? Approving and overseeing the public budget is one of Council’s most important responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that our tax dollars are managed responsibly, transparently, and in the best interest of our community. We also appreciate the residents who have shared their feedback throughout the year, through emails, phone calls, and conversations with council members. Your input helps,” he said.
Truijen then discussed the way that the RM goes about making the budget and how items are prioritized.
“Municipalities are responsible for delivering essential services such as fire protection, snow removal, waste, recycling collection, and green space maintenance, among other things. These core services form the foundation of our budget. Once operational needs are addressed, departments submit capital project requests for council reviews. Members of Council may also bring forward items for administration to analyze,” he said.
From all of that work, West St. Paul’s budget took shape.
Truijen discussed the projects that are on the list for completion this year. They are varied, from security cameras and speed bumps, to infrastructure upgrades like the replacement of the ceiling tiles in the Access Centre, as well as bigger projects like the Miller Road paving upgrade, and an asphalt trail along Trails Pond.
There are also going to be come projects that will be continued from the 2025 budget. These include the Recreation Strategic Plan, the walking paths/sidewalk down Kapelus east to west, and the water reservoir expansion.
“Growth in West St. Paul, as you can see on the growth chart, is well managed, and that allows us to enhance services without placing additional cost to existing residents. Through development-related revenues, we are able to purchase new equipment and complete beautification projects across the RM at no additional expense to taxpayers. Our current population is over 10,000, and projected (growth) indicates that West St. Paul could grow to over 20,000 residents within the next 15 years,” said Truijen.
He explained that there is no perfect balance when creating the budget but they are always mindful of the balancing act of keeping taxes low and providing what taxpayers need when creating the budget.
“We are pleased to present a 2026 budget with no change to the municipal rate. This is the fourth consecutive year the mill rate for the municipality has not been increased,” said Truijen.
The mill rate will remain at 6.296 for 2026.
Truijen then discussed how property taxes are a combination of education taxes and municipal taxes, and that the RM does not control the education portion of your property taxes. He explained that if anyone has questions about the education portion of their tax bill, they should check in with their school division.
Truijen then went on to discuss a breakdown of how tax dollars are spent, with the last census showing that West St. Paul had 2999 homes. This means that snow clearing is approximately $62 per household per year, garbage collection is approximately $174 per household, and recycling is $107 per household. The annual cost per household for fire protection is $295, while the total protective service costs are approximately $478 per household. He also discussed some additions to the budget, including their new Human Resources Department and the new Bylaw and community service department that Truijen explained was able to get up and running smoothly thanks to the input of the RM’s new CAO.
Truijen concluded his presentation with important dates to remember.
“Taxes are due on Tuesday, September 29 at 4:30 p.m. with no exceptions. For online banking, please allow five days for the funds to reach the bank. There’s a penalty of 1.25 (per cent) per month. The appeal deadline is October 13, 2026,” he said.
He also reminded residents that effective 2027, the property tax due date will change.
“The current date is September 29. Starting in 2027, property taxes will be due on June 30 each year. TIPP payments will run from January 1 to December 31 each year. This change will take effect starting January 1, 2027. For further details on the transition, information will be provided in advance of the 2027 tax year,” he said.
The hearing concluded with questions from residents.
