Council Highlights October 3 2023

City Council adopted the minutes of the following meetings into the corporate record:

• Corporate Services Committee meeting of September 18, 2023
• Administrative and Legislative Review Committee meeting of September 20, 2023

Council received the following items for information:

• Corporate Services Committee outstanding items
• Administrative and Legislative Review Committee outstanding items

A delegation from the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede including Ron Edwards, General Manager; Shirley McClellan, Committee Member; Neal Siedlecki, Committee Member; David Cocks, FWBA Architects; and Kenzie Liefso, Project Engineering Representative; presented to City Council. The delegation shared their vision for a new, multi-purpose facility to replace aging grandstands and offer a comprehensive space for community events and conferences. They closed the presentation with a request of support from the City of Medicine Hat to fund 40% of the facility ($14.9 million) and offer additional support through an interest-free loan for 20% of the project ($7.45 million) with the Government of Alberta contributing the final 40% ($14.9 million, contingent on the City of Medicine Hat’s contribution). Administration will bring forward a briefing note to discuss the request at a future council meeting.

Under new business, Rochelle Pancoast, Managing Director of Energy, Land and Environment, presented to City Council on COMCO Energy Rate Offerings – Electricity, and Bylaw 4796 to Amend the Electric Utility Bylaw. Following the presentation, Council gave first reading to Bylaw 4796, a bylaw of the City of Medicine Hat to amend the Electric Utility Bylaw. The amendments include the following updates:

• That COMCO sets the interim best market electric energy rates based on a quarterly reset of the wholesale one year forward curve (’12 month strip’).
• That all current customers on contracts will be transferred to the new best market default rate, however, the customer would have 30 days after the effective date of the bylaw amendment to revert back to their contract if they choose.
• This interim best market electric energy default rate approach will be maintained until replaced by decisions informed by the pending COMCO Business Review.

A non-statutory public hearing for Bylaw 4796 will be held at the October 16 City Council meeting.

Under new business, City Council passed Bylaw 4797, a bylaw of the City of Medicine Hat to amend the Procedure Bylaw. The amendments include housekeeping items related to timing of agendas and are intended to address potential delays in the decision-making process.

Under new business, City Council approved two respective resolutions to provide support to the Town of Coaldale and the Town of Taber’s grant submission to the 2023/2024 Alberta Community Partnership Grant - Highway 3 Regional Water and Wastewater Concept Development Study Project.

City Council approved a motion to direct administration to conduct a review of Bylaw 3117, the Unsightly Property Bylaw, pertaining to vacant and derelict properties, and take appropriate and immediate measures to address this pressing issue and to report back to Council with options to enhance the effectiveness of the bylaw and identify any gaps or shortcomings that may hinder its enforcement, with a status report due at the first regular Council meeting of December 2023 and a recommended revision of the bylaw provided for Council consideration by the end of Q1 2024.

Under Committee Business, City Council approved the 2025-2026 Budget Touchpoints with Council, which includes the following:

• Two (2) open Council Committee of the Whole meetings for 2025-26 capital budget deliberations at up to four hours each (total time up to 8 hours) from 3 to 7 p.m. between July 1, 2024 and July 12, 2024.
• Four (4) open Council Committee of the Whole meetings for 2025-2026 operating and consolidated budget deliberations at up to four hours each (total time up to 16 hours) from 3 to 7 p.m. between October 21, 2024 and November 8, 2024.

City Council approved a motion to direct administration to reach out to all of the boards, committees and commissions to which Council appoints public members to ask them to provide their top five required skills and competencies from the framework approved by Council in January 2023 and any other comments as to what their boards may require for the 2024 appointments only, and the frameworks be developed into a matrix that the Administrative and Legislative Review Committee can use to score the applicants.