Ponoka County adopts finalized budget, mill rates

PONOKA COUNTY -- Ponoka County has adopted its finalized 2026 budget and mill rates. 

For the County's total expenditures, which include costs for administration, public works, protective and fire services, waste disposal, and others, the final amount for 2026 is $39,568,311. Ponoka County will have a balanced budget for this year as their total revenue is estimated at the same amount. The municipality is also expected to bring in $2,858,172 in provincial grants.

At their recent budget meeting, Ponoka County Council went through a line-by-line review of this year's budget and made a few changes to funding allocations for community organizations. These changes saw a total of $20,000 allocated to the Rimbey Historical Society for their annual operations. In addition, $50,000 was approved for the Ponoka Youth Centre, and $7,500 for the furnaces at Last West Hall. No additional funding included in the Ponoka County 2026 budget was allocated to Lincoln Hall.

It's also noted that during their review of the budget, a clerical error was identified. An amount of $185,000 was subsequently redistributed to Planning, Development, and Services, with a portion also allocated to the fuel budget, resulting in minor adjustments across several other budget areas.

Here are this year's mill rates: