This week, budget season has begun. Troy and Stephanie guide you into the start of our year-end busy season, and explain how this will lead into next year's busy season, the election.

Here are the relevant links for this episode:

Budget

• Edmonton city council looks for cuts to lower 8.1 per cent tax hike eyed for 2025
• Edmonton city councillors question travel budgets and spending on Calgary Stampede

Election

• 9 candidates declare intention to run for Edmonton City Council

City manager

• Edmonton city council hires Eddie Robar as city manager
• Budget pressures top of mind for Edmonton's new city manager

Carbon budget

• Edmonton fails to meet climate targets 2 years after launching carbon budget
• Condo association calls green bin rollout 'rocky', while city says new habits take time

Single-use bylaw

• 500 days in, Edmonton has written 0 tickets under single-use bag, plastics bylaw

From the Taproot newsroom

• Edmonton Arts Council has a new funding strategy and leader
• Why the decline in public housing is 'the origins of Canada's housing crisis'
• Taproot presents: A conversation about housing

Canadian Podcast Awards

• Speaking Municipally is a finalist
• Karen's post on LinkedIn

Rapid fire

• City underlines successes and challenges as the Valley Line LRT turns one
• McDavid makes history with 1,000th NHL point

Speaking Municipally is produced by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven original stories, curated newsletters on various topics, and locally focused podcasts, all in the service of informing Edmontonians about what is going on in their community. Sign up to get The Pulse, our weekday news briefing. It's free!