This fall, Red Deer City Council is looking at creating a municipally controlled utility corporation.
Is that a good thing?
The answer is a cautious “maybe”.
The thing is, it depends how Red Deer City Council sets the corporation up.
Will the jobs and assets related to Utility Services remain publicly owned? If yes, then this move might work out okay for residents of Red Deer.
But what if Red Deer City Council offloads our utilities to private corporations? That would definitely be bad.
Why? Because Utility Services is the only department that actually makes the City of Red Deer money.
In fact, revenue from Utility Services made up approximately 41% of the total budgeted revenue for the City of Red Deer in 2024. That means nearly half of the services and infrastructure that Red Deer citizens benefit from is reliant on revenue from Utility Services.
And not only do Utility Services provide a consistent revenue stream for the City of Red Deer, they also provide hundreds of good, reliable jobs that support hard-working families in Red Deer. In turn, those families spend money that fuels our local economy.
That’s why it’s so important to make sure that Utility Services stay publicly owned and operated. Together, let’s keep the revenue from Utility Services coming back to the residents and communities of Red Deer.
Ready to use your voice to make sure Red Deer’s Utility Services remain publicly owned and operated? Send an email to Red Deer City Council now!