Medicine Hat Minute: Levy Hearing, Budget Deliberations, and Chamber Changes Implemented

Medicine Hat Minute: Levy Hearing, Budget Deliberations, and Chamber Changes Implemented

 

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

 

This Week In Medicine Hat:

  • The Public Services Committee will meet this afternoon at 3:45 pm. The Managing Director will provide an update on the Big Marble Go Centre Closure. The Committee will finish the meeting with an in-camera session for an agenda item labelled “Community Cooperation Discussion”.

  • The Council Committee of the Whole will meet on Tuesday at 3:45 pm to continue with 2025-26 Budget Deliberations. The theme of this portion of deliberations is New Growth Opportunities. There were 55 such opportunities pitched at the last round of discussions.

  • Starting today, a road maintenance project will close a two-block stretch of Woodman Avenue Southeast until September, weather permitting. Divided into two stages, the first phase will cover from Dominion Street Southeast to Queen Street Southeast, including intersections. Subsequently, crews will proceed to rehabilitate the section from Queen Street Southeast to Elm Street Southeast.

 


 

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

  • The City implemented changes to Council Chambers, citing safety and security concerns raised by staff regarding public-access areas. This includes removing and relocating the former media table overlooking the Council horseshoe to address perceived gray areas between public and restricted zones. Media seating was subsequently moved to a smaller table on the Chamber's upper walkway, prompting initial backlash and criticism from reporters. Additional adjustments involve adding stanchions to stairways and repositioning staff and podiums for improved visibility. Further updates are planned for August, including installing a public presentation podium and updating card access controls on perimeter doors.

  • The City scheduled a public hearing for its off-site levy bylaw, aiming to update fees for connecting City infrastructure to new developments. These fees cover essential infrastructure like water mains, sewer lines, roads, and storm sewers required for new areas not currently serviced. The levy is a one-time payment by developers to the City, and is meant to ensure necessary infrastructure is in place for growth within new developments. The fees do add a lot to the cost of housing, however, and large increases to these types of fees across Canada have contributed significantly to a lack of housing affordability in many cities. While initial feedback has been received, Council requested further transparency in the process, leading to the upcoming public hearing scheduled for August 19th at 6:30 pm.

  • Council unanimously approved the rezoning of 1720 Bell Street SW from a Community Services District to a Medium Density Residential District to accommodate an expansion of the South Country Village seniors living residence. This decision will enable the construction of a new apartment addition with 126 units, aimed at enhancing the complex's amenities and healthcare services. The expansion is projected to increase the complex's assessed value by $16.5 million, contributing $115,644 in municipal taxes by 2025. Concerns about traffic and transit service to the area were raised during discussions, with assurances from staff that these issues will be addressed during the development phase.

 

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  • Common Sense Medicine Hat
    published this page in News 2024-07-08 01:03:14 -0600