The Town of Cochrane is inviting residents to provide feedback on municipal services as the first step in shaping the 2026–2028 operating budget.
“Over the next few weeks, all Cochrane households will receive a letter in the mail with a QR code and phone number inviting them to participate in the survey,” said Stacey Loe, executive director of Corporate Services. “Some residents will also be contacted directly by phone. To ensure everyone can participate, the survey will also be posted on our Let’s Talk Cochrane public engagement website.”
The online survey runs from April 7 to May 8 and is designed to gather residents’ input on whether current service levels should increase, decrease, or stay the same across various departments. This will help guide the development of departmental business plans and budget priorities in a way that reflects community needs while remaining financially sustainable.
For example, Cochrane referenced the 54 per cent of respondents finding good to excellent value for their property taxes to support maintaining current service levels last year.
“We want to know what’s working well, what isn’t, and how we can better serve our community—both now and in the future,” said Loe.
In addition to the survey, Administration will host one spring and fall focus groups to gather further community input. Loe explains that this will allow “a more in-depth conversation with residents about the budget process.”
“We’ll bring back the same group in the fall to share the draft budget, explain how their feedback was incorporated and gather further input to share with Council during budget deliberations.”
Survey and focus group results will be presented to Council on July 7. Based on that direction, Administration will draft the 2026–2028 operating and capital budgets over the summer. The proposed budget will be presented in the fall, debated in November, and finalized by Council in December, guiding service-level decisions for the next three years. A capital budget is also presented to Council for consideration, providing specific funding for infrastructure projects, equipment and fleet.
To participate, residents can use the QR code or text link on the mailed postcard, or visit letstalkcochrane.ca/2026budget. An external research firm, Advanis, will also conduct a random telephone survey with residents aged 18 and over.
