Medicine Hat City Council Highlights November 6 2023

This summary provides a brief overview of City Council meetings and does not reflect all discussion and debate. For full details, download the  agenda package  or watch the full meeting on the _ **City of Medicine Hat’s YouTube channel_**. 

City Council adopted the following items into the corporate record:

• Audit Committee meeting minutes of October 10, 2023
• Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting minutes of October 10, 2023
• Public Services Committee meeting minutes of October 10, 2023
• Corporate Services Committee meeting minutes of October 12, 2023
• Council Committee of the Whole meetings minutes of October 23, 2023
• Public Services Committee meeting minutes of October 23, 2023
  City Council received the following items for information:
• Police Commission meeting minutes of September 27, 2023
• 2022 Municipal Indicators
• Tri-annual Management Report for the period ending August 31, 2023
• Audit Committee Outstanding Items – October 10, 2023
• Development and Infrastructure Committee Outstanding Items - October 10, 2023
• Public Services Committee Outstanding Items - October 10, 2023
• Corporate Services Division - Introduction of New Directors
• Corporate Services Committee Outstanding Items - October 12, 2023
• Medalta 2022 Annual Report
• Memorandum of Agreement - Firefighting Services with Cypress County
• Community Vibrancy Advisory Board Meeting Minutes - July 26, 2023
• Public Services Committee Outstanding Items - October 23, 2023
  Natasha Carvalho, Executive Director and Peggy Revell, Community Education and Awareness Coordinator of the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society (MHWSS) presented to City Council on Family Violence Prevention Month. Ms. Carvalho summarized the services that MHWSS provides in the community and shared information regarding the launch of a significant capital campaign to expand and enhance the shelter’s facility to address current and anticipated demand.
  Under unfinished business, City Council passed Bylaw 4736, a bylaw to Amend the Public Roads Bylaw. The amendments include the ability to establish multi-use crossings at specific locations within the City’s Heritage Trail System where a multi-use trail crosses over a roadway and where it is appropriate to require motor vehicles to yield not only to pedestrians, but also to persons crossing the roadway while riding or using a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, e-scooter, inline skates or roller skates. It also includes an amendment to allow children under fourteen to legally ride on a sidewalk. First reading was given at the September 18, 2023 meeting of City Council.
  Under new business, City Council approved a motion to take no action on a funding request from the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede (MHES) until the following has been received:
• 5 years income and expense projections for the MHES operations and events including proposed new/expanded facilities.
• Business plan outlining operations of MHES proposed facilities including:
  • Current utilization rates of MHES facilities and event attendance
  • Projected utilization rates of MHES facilities including proposed new/expanded facilities
  • A description of how the new/expanded facilities will promote Medicine Hat as a hub in the agribusiness corridor
• Analysis on scaling of existing facilities to accommodate desired target events
• 10-year capital expenditure plans for all MHES facilities identifying any backlog of required maintenance
• Detailed repayment plan for the requested $7.5M interest-free loan
  City Council approved the 2023-2024 Waste Management Strategy. This plan will replace the now expired 2012-2022 Waste Management strategy. This in-depth strategy guides the development of robust and cost-effective programs and systems related to waste reduction, diversion, and disposal. The City of Medicine Hat benefitted from the 2012-2022 waste management strategy with noteworthy outcomes including residential curbside recycling, leaf and yard waste collection/composting, annual waste roundups and landfill airspace enhancements.
  City Council approved a 2023 capital budget amendment of $1,000,000 for a food waste composting piloting project, funded through working capital (which, subject to grant funding, would be offset on a 50% cost-sharing basis up to a maximum of $500,000). The City of Medicine Hat’s 2023-2032 Waste Management strategy identifies food waste composting as one of the biggest opportunities for waste diversion with conservative estimates of 3,700 tonnes of residential waste diverted from the landfill to the composting site.
  City Council approved an increase of funding in the Parks and Recreation 2023 Tangible Capital Asset Drainage & Erosion Remediation Infrastructure program from $378,000 to $478,000; provided by a third-party grant (Trans Canada Trail), as well as a recommendation to accept funding of $2,000 from third party (Trans Canada Trail) for operating; to be used for the decommissioning and repurposing of the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion in Strathcona Island Park. This remediation is to stabilize the location east of the 3rd Street NW trail connection previously impacted by overland drainage erosion and river scour. A section of the multi-use trail (Trans Canada Trail) will be repaved at the project location.
  City Council approved a motion to enter into new lease agreements with the Medicine Hat Golf and Country Club and the Connaught Golf Club, with the agreements containing key terms and conditions as stated in the report and other terms and conditions to the satisfaction of the City Manager and City Solicitor.
  City Council gave first reading to Bylaw 4798 to amend the Gas Utility Bylaw. The amendments would see the implementation of a single commodity rate for gas for residential, small business and commercial customers that is based on wholesale market commodity prices and is calculated monthly. This proposed structure would be in effect until a third-party review of the City of Medicine Hat’s energy business (COMCO) is complete. A non-statutory public hearing will be held on November 20, 2023.
  The next City Council meeting will be held in Council Chambers in City Hall on Monday, November 20, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.

Read this article on our website.