Spruce Grove homeowners are getting a clearer picture of where their property tax dollars go this year, thanks to an informational pamphlet tucked inside 2026 tax notices from the City of Spruce Grove. The Understanding Your 2026 Property Tax Notice packet breaks down a bill many residents see as a single charge, showing how much is kept by the city for local services and how much is passed on to the province for education.
While property owners receive one bill each May, the pamphlet explains the city actually collects money for three outside organizations: the Alberta Education Levy, the Evergreen Catholic School Levy, and the Meridian Housing Foundation, which supports seniors’ housing. The city does not set or control those amounts. The education levies are determined by the Government of Alberta, while the Meridian Housing Foundation sets its own requisition. The province raised the residential education tax rate to $2.84 per $1,000 of assessed value this year, up from $2.72.
The province aims to cover one-third of its education operating costs through property taxes by 2026-2027, a plan that means a 15 percent hike across residential, farmland, and non-residential properties. In Spruce Grove, that translates to a 4.41 percent provincial increase for a typical homeowner. At the same time, the city managed to trim its own tax rate increase from an earlier projection of 4.68 percent down to 3.99 percent, crediting stronger than expected local growth that added $438,447 in extra revenue.
Property assessments across the city rose an average of 9.01 percent in 2026, though the final tax hit varies widely by neighbourhood. The pamphlet includes a pie chart laying out exactly how each dollar is divvied up, with the provincial education portion eating the biggest single slice at 27.19 percent, followed by emergency and enforcement services at 17.78 percent. Smaller shares go toward parks and roads, social programs, transit, the local library, and the seniors’ housing foundation, among other line items.
The mailing lands at a time when municipalities across Alberta are frustrated with being the tax collector for provincial education costs. In November 2025, Alberta Municipalities approved a resolution asking the province to take over education tax collection directly, after the Town of Rocky Mountain House faced a 14.3 percent jump that residents mistakenly blamed on local council. Spruce Grove’s decision to spell out the numbers mirrors similar efforts elsewhere, aiming to keep ratepayers informed about who really decides the tax rates that shape their bills.
