Calgary Minute: New Year, Cash Grabs, and more Golden Handshakes

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• There are, of course, no Council or committee meetings this week due to the holidays.
  
  
• There are a large number of New Years events happening around the City, including City-sponsored events at the Central Library, Olympic Plaza, and City Hall - here are the details.
  
  
• 2020 will bring in tax and fee increases for Calgarians on the municipal, provincial, and federal level. Property taxes on the average Calgary home will go up by 7.51%, while transit fares and other service fees will also rise. Provincial income taxes. vehicle registration fees, museum admittance, and university tuition will all increase too. Plus, don't forget the new federal carbon tax, and the replacement provincial carbon tax!

Last Week In Calgary:

• Remember when Council got rid of the "golden handshake" retirement bonuses for City Staff? It turns out, even new hires (nevermind existing staff!) could still be eligible for these payouts for years!
  
  
• Police Chief Mark Neufeld defended Photo Radar as not a cash grab, while simultaneously acknowledging that without the photo radar revenue, the hole in the Police budget would be significant - a perfect encapsulation of the messy incentives behind the current system.
  
  
• Calgary Police Services announced a first-of-its-kind domestic violence response team which they hope will better serve residents by partnering police with community agencies to tackle domestic violence.

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