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Woodlands County 2027 Budget Survey

Each year, Woodlands County Council adopts a budget to guide priorities and investments across the community. The budget is developed in alignment with Council’s Strategic Plan, including its five strategic pillars: Financial Strength, Infrastructure, Collaboration, Organizational Excellence, and Strategic Economic and Social Development.

A key part of this budget process is hearing directly from residents. This survey is one way to gather your input on what matters most to you. Your feedback helps Council better understand community priorities and guide decision-making as we plan for the future of Woodlands County.

To share your thoughts, please complete the survey by June 30, 2026.

For more information, interesting facts about the County, and to review the 2026 Budget, visit our budget webpage: https://woodlands.ab.ca/p/budgets
A. ABOUT YOU
1.Do you own property in Woodlands County?(Required.)
2.Do you live in Woodlands County?(Required.)
3.In which division do you live and/or own property?(Required.)
Woodlands County Division Map
B. OVERALL PRIORITIES & SATISFACTION
4.Which municipal services are most important to you? (Please rank in order of highest priority, with 1 being most important.)(Required.)
1 (Most important)
2
3
4
5
6
7 (Least important)
Roads & transportation
Fire & emergency services
Water & wastewater
Waste management
Recreation facilities
Economic development
Protective services (bylaw, policing)
5.How satisfied are you with the current level of municipal services?(Required.)
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
6.How would you rate the value you receive for your municipal taxes?(Required.)
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
C. SPENDING PRIORITIES
7.Which areas should be the highest priority for investment? (Please rank in order of highest priority, with 1 being most important.)(Required.)
1 (Most Important)
2
3
4
5
6 (Least Important)
Road paving and maintenance
Emergency services
Recreation facilities
Economic development
Other infrastructure (bridges, facilities, utilities)
8.Which infrastructure areas should be prioritized over the next 3–5 years? (Please rank in order of highest priority, with 1 being most important.)(Required.)
1 (Most important)
2
3
4
5 (Least important)
Roads and bridges
Drainage and culverts
Fire halls and equipment
Recreation facilities
Fleet and equipment
D. TAXATION & FINANCIAL TRADE-OFFS
9.When it comes to major spending, what should be the priority? (Please rank in order of highest priority, with 1 being most important.)(Required.)
1 (Most important)
2
3 (Least important)
Improving existing infrastructure
Investing in new infrastructure
Investing in business attraction, retention and expansion
10.If costs increase due to inflation, which approach should the County take?(Required.)
11.Would you support a tax increase to maintain essential services and infrastructure?(Required.)
12.What is your primary concern regarding property taxes?(Required.)
E. SERVICE LEVELS & REDUCTIONS
13.If service reductions were required, please rank the following areas in the order you would prefer reductions be considered, with 1 being the first area to reduce.
1 (First area to reduce)
2
3
4
Airport services
Economic development services
Recreation and facility services
Administrative services
14.Or, do you believe service reductions should be equal across all areas?
15.Which best reflects your view on County road maintenance?(Required.)
16.If required to choose, what is most important to you?(Required.)
F. USER FEES
17.If user fees are increased, which services would you support fees for? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
18.How do you feel about increased user fees for specific services?(Required.)
G. FINANCIAL STRATEGY & RESERVES
19.How important is it for the County to build and maintain financial reserves?(Required.)
Very important
Important
Neutral
Not important
20.In your view, what should reserves be primarily used for? (Please rank in order of highest priority, with 1 being the highest)
1 (Most important)
2
3 (Least important)
Emergencies only
Planned capital projects
Reducing tax increases
21.Or, do you believe emergencies, planned capital projects and reducing tax increases are all equally important?
22.What is the biggest barrier to development in your area?
I. COMMUNICATION & ENGAGEMENT
23.How well do you understand how the municipal budget is developed?
24.What would help you understand municipal finances better? (Select all that apply)
25.How do you prefer to provide budget input? (Select all that apply)
J. SHARE YOUR FINAL THOUGHTS
26.Before you go, is there anything else you would like Council to know as it plans for the 2027 budget?

Please share any final thoughts, ideas, concerns, or priorities that were not covered elsewhere in the survey.