Medicine Hat Minute: Budget Deliberations, Free Sand, and Slowed Growth Projections

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• There will be a meeting of City Council this afternoon, beginning with a closed session at 3:45 pm. While behind closed doors, Council will discuss Indigenous Relations, the HALO Air Ambulance, and a collective bargaining update, among other things. When the meeting opens up to the public, at 6:30 pm, the agenda includes the sale of seven residential lots in the Southlands 6C Subdivision, as well as the removal of the Market Pods/Sea Cans in Towne Square.
  
  
• The Administrative and Legislative Review Committee will meet on Tuesday at 4:00 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. The Development and Infrastructure Committee will meet on Thursday at 1:30 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet either.
  
  
• Medicine Hat’s budget process for 2025-26 is nearing completion. The City said it is facing challenges due to lower energy profits. The full picture will be presented for approval in December, but at the moment, the proposed budget includes a 5.6% tax rate increase for both 2025 and 2026, as well as a 1% increase in utility rates. We think this is unacceptable. Council should be cutting taxes, not raising them, and they could absolutely afford to do so if they got wasteful spending under control. If you agree, please sign our petition calling on Council to get “Back To Basics”.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• The provincial audit of Medicine Hat has officially begun, with Alberta's Ministry of Municipal Affairs granted full access to review City policies and conduct interviews with staff and Council members. This audit follows a request made by Council in September, which sparked a debate over its cost and impact. The audit could take between 6 and 18 months.
  
  
• The City has launched its second year of the free sidewalk sand program, providing residents with sand to manage sidewalks during the winter months. Several large sand boxes have been placed around neighbourhoods for public use, with the sand available on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents must bring their own containers and limit their collection to five gallons per visit. The sand is specifically for sidewalk use and does not contain salts that could damage infrastructure. Residents can report empty sand boxes to Municipal Works for refills. A full list of sand box locations can be found online.
  
  
• Councillors heard that Medicine Hat's population is expected to grow more slowly than previously anticipated, with projections showing a population of only 72,000 by 2046. As a result, the City's land office may shift its focus from bringing new land to market to preparing redevelopment projects for the private sector. Councillors stressed the importance of balancing support for developers while avoiding an oversupply of land, with some expressing concerns about selling land in a weak market. A new strategy will be presented in the spring of 2025 to adapt to changing conditions.

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