Business & Financial Management
The indicators in this section relate to the City’s overall short- and long-term financial management.
City Revenues Per Capita
The indicator measures the total revenue collected by the City, including grants and operating revenue (collected via taxes, user fees, etc), divided by the number of residents.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2023 View fullscreen
Comments
There has been a modest increase in 2023 due to an increase in revenues that exceeded the increase in population. The revenue increase was primarily driven by increases in property taxes, contributed assets, sales, and user fees relative to the previous year.
Investment Rate of Return for the City
The indicator shows the City's short-term investment returns as compared to the Canadian one-year Treasury Bill Rate.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2024 View fullscreen
Comments
The average Rate of Return for short-term investments in 2024 was 5.54 per cent, which is slightly higher than 5.29 per cent in 2023.
As investments mature and interest rates drop, this average rate will decrease. The average Treasury Bill Rate has decreased slightly from 4.79 per cent in 2023 to 4.08 per cent in 2024, due to a decrease in interest rates.
Business Licences
The indicator measures the total number of business licences based in St. Albert. The number of licensed businesses can indicate local economic growth or contraction.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2024 View fullscreen
Comments
The number of annual business licences has seen steady growth with some fluctuation between 2012 and 2024. A minor decrease of 0.5 and 0.8 per cent occurred during 2013-2014, followed by strong growth between 2 and 3 per cent annually until 2019.
A noticeable decrease began in late 2019 and continued until late 2021, likely attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2020, annual business licenses have remained relatively stable, except for a slight 1.5 per cent decrease in 2023. However, in 2024, there was a notable increase of 3.7 per cent.
Non-Residential Taxable Assessment Base
This indicator measures the dollar amount (in billions) of the taxable non-residential assessment base in the City of St. Albert. It is updated annually using data from the property assessment roll and includes the assessed value of all taxable non-residential properties.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2023 View fullscreen
Comments
The total taxable non-residential assessment base for the City of St. Albert includes both physical growth and market value change to the prior year’s assessment.
Non-Residential Assessment Base Percentage
The indicator measures non-residential taxable assessment as a percentage of the total taxable assessment base. It includes industrial and commercial properties within St. Albert. This metric is distinct from the "Tax Split," which refers to the proportion of tax revenue collected from each property class.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2023 View fullscreen
Comments
This metric is used to compare with other mid-sized municipalities. One of St. Albert's long-term goals is to increase this base through development such as the Lakeview Business District. The rate rose from 8.85% in 2008 to 14.80% in 2023, showing steady growth and recent stabilization.
Taxable Assessment Growth
The indicator displays the total physical growth of St. Albert’s assessment base in a weighted average. The data represents percentage growth to illustrate year-over-year percent changes rather than dollar values.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2024 View fullscreen
Comments
Assessment Growth for 2024 was 2.99 per cent, which is considered a strong year given the historical trend.
Corporate Expenditures Per Capita
The indicator measures the total operating expenditures incurred divided by the number of residents in each city to show total spending to maintain services to the community.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2023 View fullscreen
Comments
There has been a modest increase in this measure in 2023, potentially due to inflation. The City of St. Albert remains competitive with other mid-sized municipalities in per capita costs.
Total Debt to Provincial Limit Ratio
The indicator shows how much the City is borrowing. It shows the percentage of the total City debt to the limit allowed by the Province of Alberta.
Reporting frequency: Annually Last updated: 2023 View fullscreen
Comments
In 2023, the City of St. Albert remains among the lowest debt users relative to the debt limit prescribed by the province compared to other mid-sized Alberta cities. This measure is expected to rise marginally in the next several years due to Council-approved debt for upcoming projects.
Related Pages
Last edited: May 23, 2025