Because every little bit helps!

Playground Equipment

What we did: Using a group purchasing program to access bulk pricing, the City saved $42,000 on new playground equipment scheduled for replacement this summer at Cougar and Lafayette Parks.

Why it matters: Each year, the City needs to replace playground equipment to maintain important safety standards. These costs become part of our operating budget which is funded by property taxes. Over the last several years, we’ve been making these purchases through a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO). A GPO is like shopping at Costco. Just like how we get a Costco membership to access discounted prices on bulk purchases, businesses can join a GPO to leverage their combined buying power. This streamlined process allows us to maximize our budgets by reducing both the purchase price and the staff time required. In the end, we get amazing playgrounds for our community at a lower cost to taxpayers. Over the last four years we’ve saved a total of $164,896 on playground equipment by using GPOs.

Fuel Purchases

What we did: When fuel prices are unpredictable, the City carefully plans purchases. By working closely with our fuel contractor and keeping space available in our tanks, we can buy fuel quickly when prices are lower. This approach recently saved $8,000 on just two fuel deliveries.

Why it matters: Fuel is one of the City’s major expenses. Recent global events, including the conflict in Iran, have created significant volatility in fuel markets. Prices can change quickly, and supply can tighten with little notice. Because of this, how fuel purchases are made matters more than ever. Keeping extra capacity in fuel tanks helps the City stay prepared without affecting continuity. It ensures fuel is always available for operations, while still allowing space for quick purchases when prices are lower. This helps us manage costs and reduce the budget needed to provide everyday services that require fuel like transit , snow plowing, street sweeping and parks maintenance.

City Council's Strategic Plan Development

What we did: By hosting local planning meetings and working with City staff instead of consultants, City Council saved up to $109K when developing their new Strategic Plan.

Why it matters: As we face rising costs and tough budget decisions, making every dollar go further matters to residents and to City Council. By staying local and using internal resources, Council saved significant dollars on developing their new strategic plan. The money allocated for this initiative can now help fund other important community needs.

Paper Towel Dispensers

What we did: By building an ongoing partnership with vendors, we've been able to secure more competitive pricing. This recently saved us $38K on new paper towel dispensers at VisitLethbridge.com Arena. The new dispensers also have advertising space which could generate an additional $5K in revenue each year. 

Why it matters: Every day, the City of Lethbridge buys hundreds of goods and services that keep our community running. By using that purchasing power and creating strong partnerships, we're able to not only improve pricing but also improve the reliability and speed with which these purchases can be made. In this example, not only were the new paper towel dispensers purchased at a lower cost, they also now provide advertising opportunities as a potential new revenue source. This was achieved by having a strong partner working alongside the City to give the best value to our taxpayers. 

AI Technology in Water Treatment 

What we did: In the last year we’ve saved more than $350K in chemical costs by using artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately pinpoint the levels needed to treat our drinking water.

Why it matters: As chemical prices climb, these savings help keep water rates manageable while ensuring households continue receiving clean, safe water - every day. Efficiency here directly supports affordability at home.

Paper Change

What we did: By moving from perforated paper to regular paper for our ambulance billing, we're saving $2000/year.

Why it matters: Whether the savings are big or small, this just shows that every little bit does help and that there are simple, small things we can do every day.

Emergency services are a critical to our community, but expensive to deliver. Being the best stewards of every tax dollar makes our efforts go further in protecting the health and safety of our residents.

January 29, 2026

LED Lighting

What we did: By changing to LED lighting at City Hall and at our Fleet Building, we save $30K/year on utility costs.

Why it matters: Just like many families across Lethbridge, the City is also facing rising utility costs, and just like you, we’re finding smarter ways to conserve.

Our teams are reducing consumption, lowering operating costs and protecting residents from future rate pressures.

Every improvement helps us stretch tax dollars further while also caring for our environment.

Remounting Ambulances

What we did: Rather than replacing ambulances, we’re remounting them on a new chassis, saving $88K per unit. We’ve been able to use those savings for resources like new power stretchers.

Why it matters: City ambulances have a lifespan of approximately five years. By remounting ambulance boxes onto new chassis, we’ve been able to double the lifespan without the cost of a full vehicle replacement. This saves the department money, reduces waste and quickly adds reliable vehicles back to the fleet. 

We’ve been able to reinvest these savings into additional resources, like new power stretchers. This improves care for residents and increases safety for our first responders, all at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Spitz Stadium Sponsorship

What we did: We secured a 5-year naming sponsorship for Spitz Stadium bringing in a total of $250K that goes directly back into maintaining this awesome facility.

Why it matters: Sponsorships reduce the burden on taxpayers by inviting community partners to share in the costs of public amenities — creating a stronger, more connected city.

In addition to Spitz Stadium, the City’s Sponsorship program has also secured significant naming sponsorships at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena and Cavendish Farms Centre. These all go towards reducing the operating costs for these community facilities.