2026 Budget

Under Alberta legislation, municipalities are legally required to collect the education property tax on behalf of the Government of Alberta. Municipalities do not determine the amount, purpose, distribution, or collection method of the tax.

Tell Me More…

The Province annually determines the total revenue required for education, calculates each municipality’s education property tax requisition, and obligates municipalities to collect this amount through property assessment and taxation.

Municipalities collect education tax dollars from their ratepayers, and send them to the Province, and may also remit funds to separate school boards where applicable.

Residents often mistakenly believe municipalities control the education tax because it appears on the municipal tax bill. If you'd like read more information about how education property taxes are calculated and collected, find more information online.

To summarize:

• The Province, not Sylvan Lake Council, determines:
  • the total education tax revenue,
  • the provincial tax rates, and
  • each municipality’s (Sylvan Lake’s) required contribution

Education taxes do NOT fund Sylvan Lake services

The Province specifies that education property tax revenue supports public and separate school students and funds instructional costs such as teacher salaries, textbooks, and classroom resources—not municipal operations.

If it’s not a tax from the Town, can’t I just get a separate bill?

The short answer is: we can’t. Municipalities are required to collect the provincial requisition through property assessment and taxation, meaning the education tax must appear on the municipal property tax bill.

There is no legal authority for municipalities to:

• issue a standalone education tax invoice,
• change the billing structure, or
• administer the education tax outside the municipal tax notice

What’s the bottom line here?

The education property tax is a provincial tax. The Government of Alberta sets the amount each year, and municipalities are required by law to collect it through the property tax system and send it to the Province. The municipality does not control the rate, does not keep the revenue, and cannot issue a separate provincial bill.

What if I still have questions about education taxes and how they work?

To learn about education taxes visit Education property tax | Alberta.ca

Work is underway! Council is working hard to put together a budget for 2026. Here's a very basic rundown of the process:

1. Have your say before budget is approved

• We are asking for your feedback before budget is finalized
• Provide direct feedback by completing the Laker Feedback survey
• Thanks to everyone who joined Council at the Info Night Fun Fest in September to provide feedback

2. Building the 2026 draft budget (Town staff)

• Staff from each division and department prepare their changes: increases, decreases, savings, new projects, and staffing requests
• Staff take this information and compile a document outlining the budget and changes
• These budgets are prepared based on maintaining service levels for Lakers, aligning with Council's Strategic Plan, community feedback, and more.

3. 2026 Draft budget deliberations (Town staff)

• Directors, managers, and staff from each department present their draft budget requests and information to Council
• Council asks questions, requests changes, and works with staff to ensure resident priorities are heard
• Council approves a draft budget

Return to the 2026 Budget home page.