Battleford town hall. (AlyssaRudolph/battlefordsNOW)

By Alyssa Rudolph

2026 budget

Battleford council lowers proposed 2026 tax increase from 3.9% to 2.7%

Dec 5, 2025 | 4:00 PM

The town of Battleford council has dropped its proposed budget percent from 3.9 to 2.7 at their meeting on Dec. 4.

The updated proposed budget shows that each house will see a base tax of $110 annually, which will help the town reach its operational needs. This base tax will cause a 2.7 per cent increase for the average home.

Mayor Ames Leslie said the per cent is now where he was hoping it would be.

“It’s still more money per month, but it’s not a big ask for everything to maintain the services of snow removal, garbage, the rink and all the recreation we have in your town. It’s not that much of an increase,” he said.

The council has voted for a base rate instead of a mill rate for 2026. That means, residents will see a fixed amount rather than an amount based on their homes assessment.

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Leslie explained how last time the province did property reassessments; many values decreased in municipalities, which ultimately affected his vote for a base rate.

“With the base tax, they can do all the reassessments they want; your base tax does not get touched. It’s almost like guaranteed revenue,” said Leslie.

If the council wanted to bring down the proposed percentage, services in the town would have to be cut from transportation. This would include services like a decrease in snow removal efforts, less street grading, and minimized grass cutting.

“Everybody loves the pristine look of the town of Battleford. You might have to look at maybe summer recreation gets less staff, so there’s not as many services, there’s not much programming happening,”

The council’s response showed they wanted to keep providing these services to the town’s residents.

Currently, there is also a $100 capital infrastructure levy for the town, outside of taxation. The administration has asked that number to rise up to $120 for 2026. The council has given their support to move the increase for approval.

The 2026 town of Battleford budget will be approved at the council meeting on Dec. 15.

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alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com