COLD LAKE - The City of Cold Lake amended its Taxi Bylaw to implement a small increase to the annual taxi license fee, raising it from $70 in 2024 to $72 in 2025.
This decision, which was made during the Nov. 26 council meeting, aligns with the city’s 2025 operating budget, which proposed a 2.5 per cent overall increase in fees to account for inflationary pressures and rising operational costs.
Council initially passed the Taxi Bylaw (Bylaw No. 760-PL-22) in Oct. 2022 to regulate taxi operations within the city. Subsequent amendments in 2023 updated penalty fines. The latest change emphasizes the city’s general increase in costs and inflation.
“We are recommending a small increase to the taxi license fee. In 2024, it was $70,” said Kristy Isert, general manager of Corporate Services. She noted the fee had remained unchanged for several years.
To ensure adequate time for administration to mail renewal notices before the Jan. 1 deadline, administration recommended all three readings be made to the bylaw during the meeting.
The proposed amendment to the Taxi Bylaw, identified as Bylaw No. 849-PL-24, received first, second, and third and final readings during the meeting. The adjustment is the first change to taxi license fees since 2016.
The new fee structure will take effect in 2025, with notices sent to license holders in the coming weeks.
