Council Highlights April 19 2021

Mayor Ted Clugston presented two awards from the Government Finance Officers Association to the City of Medicine Hat. The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for the year ending 2019 was presented to Director of Finance, Lola Barta. This award was established to encourage municipal governments throughout Canada to publish high quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. This is the eighteenth consecutive year the City of Medicine Hat has received the award. The Popular Annual Financial Report Award was presented to Director of Corporate Communications, Colleen Graham. The award recognizes cities and local governments for producing a high quality annual financial report by extracting information from their comprehensive annual financial report to create an accessible, understandable report for the general public and other interested parties without a financial background. This is the eighth consecutive year the City has received this award.

Merrick Brown, Manager of Support Services in Emergency Services, provided City Council a City of Medicine Hat COVID-19 update, including the most recent impacts reported by the Province of Alberta. Full details on vaccine information, guidelines and current restrictions can be found here.

Through Audit Committee, City Council approved the reappointment of KPMG as the City of Medicine Hat’s external auditors for the 2021 financial statements. Also through Audit Committee, Council received for information the Government Finance Officer Association Awards, the Tri Annual Management Report for the period ending December 31, 2020 and the 2020 Capital Project and Major Operating Expense Over Expended/Under Expended/Cancelled Projects as at December 31, 2020.

Through Corporate Services Committee, City Council approved the rescission of three policies; Policy 8000, Drivers Handbook; Policy 8001, Vehicle Accident Review Committee; and Policy 8032, Loss of Valid Drivers License Policy. The general provisions included in the policies will be replaced by the City’s Transportation Safety Program, which will support the City’s compliance with current legislation and provide a consolidated document to reference all relevant transportation safety topics.

Through Administrative Committee, City Council received a new Administrative Organization Bylaw for adoption, and the 2021 Grants in Place of Taxes Write-offs for information.

City Council received the minutes of the Municipal Planning Commission meeting of March 24, 2021.

City Council passed first, second and third reading of Bylaw #4662, a bylaw of the City of Medicine Hat to establish the organizational structure of the City's administrative team. The bylaw includes changes as follows:

• Update the executive titles to City Manager and Managing Director
• Update the names of the City divisions as per changes approved in December 2020
• The powers, duties and functions of the City Manager include the powers, duties and functions formerly held by the Administrative Committee.
• Each reference to the Administrative Committee in other City bylaws, resolutions, policies and procedures is considered a reference to an administrative committee established by the City Manager under this bylaw.

Councillor Friesen was granted a notice of motion and moved as follows:

"Based on the premise that the City has a role to play, as a partner (not the sole owner), along with a larger community partnership, including a primary role for our provincial government, I make the following motion: I move that City Manager, along with our internal Social Collective, examine the possibility of facilitating and supporting the coordination of a community-driven collaborative that considers opportunities related to a long-term permanent strategy and shelter facility."

Council adopted the motion.

Under new business, City Council approved the 2020 City of Medicine Hat Financial Statements.

Also under new business, City Council approved the appointment of a temporary License Inspector, Taylor Vorra, effective April 20, 2021.