Medicine Hat Minute: Budget Delayed, Pickleball Regionals, and Power Contracts Negotiated

Medicine Hat Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Medicine Hat politics

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• The Public Services Committee will meet this morning at 8:00 am. On the agenda are the minutes from the latest Community Vibrancy Advisory Board meeting, a discussion about the Community Funding Framework, and the Managing Director’s Service Area Update. The latter will consist of information about the Monarch Theatre Request for Proposal, Truth and Reconciliation, Vicious Dog Designation, and a Transit Services Update.
  
  
• The Economic, Land, and Strategic Planning and Development Committee will meet on Tuesday at 4:30 pm. Much of the meeting will be held in-camera to discuss an “energy matter”.
  
  
• On Thursday, at 3:30, there will be a meeting of the Energy and Infrastructure Committee. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• Council debated the budget, but ultimately decided to postpone the final vote. The expansion of the civic workforce remained a contentious topic, with 27 new positions due to be added to the current 1,033-person roster. The proposed positions would add $2.5 million to the payroll. Some Council members wished to wait on making organizational decisions until a new City Manager could be hired. The budget talks will continue on December 19th.
  
  
• City Hall fielded requests from one in every four power customers to lock in their rates. After new contract options were rolled out for 2023, Hatters jumped at the chance to know what their rate will be for the coming winter. So far, the billing department has received an average of 500 calls each day regarding the changes.
  
  
• Medicine Hat was announced as the host city for the 2023 Pickleball Canada Western Regionals. The tournament will take place from July 6th to 9th and will attract more than 500 players from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Medicine Hat hosted the provincial championships in 2022 at the new Pickleball Courts at the Big Marble Go Centre, and this event is expected to be even bigger.

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