Medicine Hat Minute: Deputy Chief, Funding Application, and a Tax Increase Proposed

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• There will be a City Council meeting this afternoon at 3:45 pm. The meeting begins with a closed session, wherein Council will discuss items labelled Labour Negotiations Update, Community Cooperation Discussion, Notice of Motion, and Indemnity Policy Review. When the meeting opens up to the public, at 6:30 pm, the agenda includes the creation of a Downtown Vibrancy/Safety Enhancement Grant. Council will also be voting on the proposed $36-million capital and $10-million operating budgets. Approving all of the items would result in a 5.1% tax increase.
  
  
• The Administrative and Legislative Review Committee will meet on Tuesday at 4:00 pm. The agenda includes a discussion about the City’s flag policy and an in-camera session to discuss Board Recruitment Best Practices. The Municipal Planning Commission will meet on Wednesday at 1:30 pm to discuss a couple of development permit proposals. On Thursday, at 4:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Energy, Land and Environment Committee. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• The application process for a Canada Day organizer is now open. The City’s request for proposal offers a one-year agreement with an option to extend for up to four additional years. The successful applicant will get a $40,000 budget. The bid closing date is July 30, and the particulars can be reviewed online.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• The unredacted Kingsgate Legal report used as the justification for Mayor Linnsie Clark’s sanctions was released. It suggests that Council was "blindsided" by her actions during a tense meeting last year. The report, now available through a Calgary court, provides more details into the complaint filed by Councillor Shila Sharps. The complaint arose from Clark questioning City Manager Ann Mitchell’s authority to conduct a reorganization of City Hall during an August 2023 meeting, which Clark backed by an external legal opinion. Council remains in disarray, with judicial review proceedings set for August 13th.
  
  
• Medicine Hat has decided to reapply for federal Housing Accelerator funding after being excluded from the initial $4 billion program. The City, alongside other unsuccessful applicants, can now compete for an additional $400 million added in the 2024 federal budget. Medicine Hat's initial application, submitted in late 2023, included nine initiatives to reduce housing costs and construction times. City officials believe these plans align with federal goals to increase housing stock. The City aims to prioritize infill units along existing infrastructure to minimize costs, and planning officials will be refining their application based on updated criteria to enhance their chances of securing grants.
  
  
• The Medicine Hat Police Service announced that it will be reviving the Deputy Chief position, which has been vacant since 2014. Chief Al Murphy, who joined in late 2022, believes appointing a Deputy Chief will streamline operations and allow him to focus on strategic planning. Murphy aims to identify the right candidate for the role by September, using an external recruitment firm to ensure a wide search. The Service is also hiring for a new inspector who will be selected internally from the current Staff Sergeants.

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