Medicine Hat Minute: Issue 214

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

📅 This Week In Medicine Hat: 📅

• On Monday, at 3:45 pm, there will be a City Council meeting. The meeting will, as usual, begin with a closed session. Away from public view, Council will discuss Strategy and Policy Development, the Municipal Inspection, and 2025 Senior Management Expenses.
  
  
• When the meeting opens up to the public, at 6:30 pm, Council will deal with some unfinished business from previous meetings, including the creation of a new Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC) to take over the City’s electric and gas services, as well as energy marketing. The City will own the corporation entirely, and Council will look to approve $4 million from the energy transition reserve to get it started. Agreements will be prepared and signed to transfer assets and services to the new corporation and local bylaws will be updated to support the change. If approved, Council will also set up a Rate Review Committee to help oversee rates charged by the new MCC. Council will also allocate $25,000 to fund the creation of this Committee and the necessary bylaws and terms will be brought forward later.
  
  
• Council will also discuss the results of the Municipal Inspection, this time in public view. In response to months of tension and dysfunction at City Hall, Medicine Hat City Council formally requested a Municipal Inspection on September 3rd, 2024. The decision followed a series of serious concerns, including a breach of Council’s Code of Conduct by Mayor Linnsie Clark, conflicts with the City Manager, and repeated reports of a toxic work environment. Mediation efforts between Council members failed earlier in 2024, leading the majority of Council to ask the provincial government to step in and examine the City's governance. The inspection, conducted under Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, involved reviewing Council's behaviour, processes, and internal culture. The City says the findings will be used to help improve governance, transparency, and operations moving forward. Though there’s no cost to receiving the report itself, fixing the problems identified may require spending taxpayer money down the line. The results will be posted online after the inspection is discussed - and we’ll have more information for you soon!
  
  
• Also during the Council meeting, there will be a discussion regarding a budget amendment to fund wage increases in a new three-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 254. The agreement, which covers staff at the Electric Generation and Water Treatment Plants, includes 3% annual raises through 2026 - exceeding what the City had originally budgeted. To address the gap, Administration is recommending Council approve additional funding of $158,584 for 2025 and $213,209 for 2026, which will be drawn from operating budgets. Retroactive wage payments for 2024 will also be issued.
  
  
• The City of Medicine Hat is considering changes to its Electric Utility Bylaw aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses. A report to the Energy, Land and Environment Committee recommends introducing a two-month grace period for commercial customers who exceed electricity thresholds, and expanding communication with ratepayers. If a business uses more than 5,000 kWh or exceeds 25 kVA in a billing cycle, the City would notify them and provide a grace period before any rate reclassification. Customers using the City's eUtility system would receive emails, while others would get mailed letters. Each account would be allowed one grace period per year. Staff say the changes will increase fairness and transparency, and compare favourably to similar policies in Lethbridge and Red Deer. Council is expected to make a final decision on August 18th, with implementation expected later this year.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

With a municipal election coming up, now is the time to get involved. We're working to make sure voters have the information they need and that local issues stay in the spotlight. Your help can make a real difference.

Join the movement for better local government, and register to volunteer today:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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