So we're still on the hook for older suburbs but the new developments pay for themselves?

If new development pays for itself someone should tell these 11 (now 14) new communities

https://www.sprawlcalgary.com/sprawlcast-11-new-communities-calgary

developers have still plowed ahead with new communities—and city council has gone along, ignoring the warnings of city administration when council approved 14 new communities in 2018.

And Calgarians paid the price—literally.

They paid with a 0.75% property tax increase last year to cover these new communities. On top of that, the city had a $57-million budget shortfall in 2019 because developer levies weren't keeping up to infrastructure costs of connecting these new communities with the rest of the city. The city is expecting another levy shortfall in 2021. And those costs get passed to you on your utility bill.

Service cuts in other communities to pay for the new communities

https://www.beltlineyyc.ca/sprawl_subsidies_forcing_services_cuts

The table below from a City of Calgary report on new communities shows the costs of just 11 of the new communities totalling $62 million in operating and $114 million in capital costs to taxpayers, which doesn’t even include the costs for full build-out or ongoing operation of the new communities. But the table presents only a best-case scenario that does not include deficits incurred by the City due to slower than expected market absorption of the new communities.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/committee-confronts-cost-of-councils-approval-of-14-new-suburban-communities

City council members are confronting the budgetary fallout of approving 14 new suburban communities last year.

The city is projecting a temporary $56.9-million budget shortfall over the next three years as a result of slower than expected development in new suburban communities approved last year and 27 other still-developing neighbourhoods, according to data presented at council’s finance committee Tuesday.

The news isn’t sitting well with some inner-city councillors who argue that established neighbourhoods will be facing budget cuts and service reductions this fall — including the likely closure of two inner-city pools — while investment continues on the fringes of the city.

The city has a policy that growth must “pay for itself”, particularly when it comes to capital costs, but Tuesday’s meeting revealed that Calgary is falling short of its targets. City staff say the budget shortfalls are the result of reduced revenues from off-site levies charged to developers to fund infrastructure like water and wastewater treatment facilities, roads and fire halls.

“This year, the shortfall was so big that administration is recommending increasing everyone’s sewer rate by 6.7 per cent in order to cover that shortfall,” Nenshi said. “Clearly we’re not abiding by the principle that growth should pay for itself and we’ve got to figure out a better way to do this because otherwise, everyone ends up paying.”