Medicine Hat Minute: Fire Response, Residential Classification, and a Food Waste Pilot

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• This afternoon, at 3:45 pm, there will be a City Council meeting. The meeting begins with a closed session, in which Council will discuss an update on some legal proceedings, a resident concern, and an information request. At 6:30 pm, the meeting will open up to the public. The public agenda features potential updates to the social media policy to make minor security changes, define expectations for City social media administrators, and lay out additional guidelines for employees' personal social media use. Additionally, Council will vote on delegating purchasing contract signing to the City Manager.
  
  
• On Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Development and Infrastructure Committee at 1:00 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• The City is launching its Food Waste Collection Pilot Program soon, involving around 25% of residents initially. Food waste will be collected alongside yard waste in certain areas, with residents receiving buckets for food scraps. The goal of the pilot program is to reduce landfill waste, with potential for a city-wide organics and composting program based on the pilot’s success and public interest.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• The Medicine Hat Fire Service has achieved its response-time target set a decade ago, surpassing the national standard by 14 seconds on average in 2023, according to a recent annual report. Fire Chief Chad Eakens highlighted the department's successful operations, including handling 1,400 emergency calls and responding swiftly to incidents like residential and commercial fires. The department also flew its first mission with HALO helicopters for search and rescue efforts. Additionally, the report outlined the department's focus on succession planning, technological advancements, and upcoming milestones such as its 125th Anniversary in 2025.
  
  
• City Planners proposed a new residential land classification to encourage development in older neighbourhoods, allowing row housing and four-plexes in lower-density areas. The initiative aligns with some of the Strong Towns concepts, with the goal of adding housing units, improving affordability, and spurring infill development while maintaining neighbourhood character. “The idea is that no neighbourhood should experience radical change, but no neighbourhood can be exempt from change,” according to the City. Mayor Linnsie Clark, in her State of the City address, noted that building where there are existing roads and utilities can help to keep taxes lower.
  
  
• City officials said they are preparing for potential watering restrictions due to low rainfall. Whether mandatory restrictions come into effect or not depends on the South Saskatchewan River's level. The City's water conservation plan outlines progressive stages, tightening rules as drought conditions worsen, with the possibility of non-essential water uses being banned in severe scenarios.

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