Neat to Know: May 7, 2024
Please enjoy this week's edition of Neat to Know, a roundup of City news, updates, and other important information. You can expect to see the week's most interesting content and even some that may have not been delivered through our regular channels.
City Council highlights
The latest City Council meeting was held on May 6 in Council Chambers at City Hall.
On the agenda:
- Public hearing for Bylaw 4799 to amend the Tax Incentive Bylaw
- Unsightly Property Bylaw
- 2024 Water Conservation Incentive Program
- and more!
Want to attend a council meeting in-person? City Council meets on the first and third Monday of each month.
Read the highlights Watch Council meeting
Emergency Preparedness Week
Emergency Preparedness Week is here, and this year's theme is "be prepared, know your risks." Knowing the hazards that can impact us, what the impact could be, and how we can be prepared supports community resilience. Weather is becoming increasingly more severe and unpredictable and this will not end anytime soon. That's why it's important for each one of us to be prepared. The City maintains numerous emergency management plans, but your individual preparedness is equally important.
How can you embrace preparedness? Simple actions such as having a plan to stay with somebody if you need to evacuate and maintaining a 72-hour kit to support yourself during long-term utility outages. Your preparedness can make a difference in a crisis, and that's a responsibility we all share.
Municipal Mingle: a public engagement event
Please join us for our third ‘Municipal Mingle’ public engagement event, at Towne Square on Wednesday, May 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event is an opportunity for community members to connect, engage, and share their feedback on a range of local initiatives, all while having fun!
*Giveaway!* The first 30 people who visit the water conservation booth at Municipal Mingle will get a free rain barrel! Plus, there will be local food trucks, a fire truck, and games for the whole family to enjoy.
The departments and projects currently involved in the Municipal Mingle include:
- Community Development – Community Wellbeing Plan
- Environment Land and Gas – Residential and Commercial Land for Sale
- Environmental Utilities - Food Waste Pilot program and Water Conservation, Shortage and Drought
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Finance - Budget Planning
- Medicine Hat Economic Development
- Municipal Works - Division Avenue project and Airport
- Parks and Recreation - Summer Camps, Fitness programming
Answer the call: community survey
If you are one of the lucky 400 people who receive a call from IPSOS between May 6 and May 26, please take the time to respond. We are conducting a statistical telephone survey to understand community sentiment on a variety of City topics and services. This study occurs every two years and allows us to understand the community's changing needs and trends related to the services we provide. We last collected this data in 2022 (view the results here).
A Different Kind of Energy - Live more in Medicine Hat
The fourth and final video (for now) has been posted to our YouTube channel – it celebrates the fact that in Medicine Hat, we get a little bit more: a little more time at the end of your day because you’re not stuck in traffic or navigating a long commute, a little more money left on your pay cheque after bills are paid because the cost of living is lower, and above all, you get a little more peace of mind. In Medicine Hat, you get more.
Watch the fourth video and enter to win our #DifferentKindOfEnergy prize pack
Share your stories of Medicine Hat's #DifferentKindOfEnergy for the chance to win a $1,500 local prize package procured by Tourism Medicine Hat! The prize draw includes the following:
- A hot air balloon ride for two provided by the Rise Up Festival organizers in the summer of 2025
- Golf Package from the Medicine Hat Accommodation Association
- JazzFest tickets
- A tour on the Sunshine Trolley
- Indy coffee shops and bakeries tour with gift cards to spend at those establishments
- $200 in tixx.ca credit to attend an entertainment experience at the Esplanade or Co-op Place
- Outdoor Xcape paddle rentals
- Medalta museum passes and gift shop credit
- One night stay in a comfort cabin at the Gas City Campground
- Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede passes, wrist bands, and cash for food
- Passes to John’s Butterfly House
- $100 gift card to South Country Co-op (food or fuel)
- Punch card to the Big Marble Go Centre
- Pride of place swag package (sweater, t-shirt, hat, stickers, magnets and locally made chocolate)
Draw date: Wednesday, June 5.
Watch the video Share your story for a chance to win
Litter Blitz contest - Help clean up our city
From April 22 to May 22, enter to win our Litter Blitz contest! To win a night at a comfort cabin at Gas City Campground, share a photo of yourself, your family, or friends participating in the community clean-up or doing your part and tag the City of Medicine Hat.
Need supplies?
We've got you covered! Garbage bags and gloves will be provided to ensure you have everything you need to participate effectively. Supplies are available until May 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Parks Office at 88 Kipling Street.
Local Government 101
Each level of government has its own scope of responsibility and it can sometimes be confusing to know who is doing what. Let us help:
- The City of Medicine Hat offers a variety of municipal services to our residents like fire service, police, roads, parks, utilities, building permits, business licenses. Municipalities cover the cost of delivering these services mostly through property tax.
- The provincial government creates laws and manages programs and services like highways, hospitals, education, social services, labour standards and more. Provincial revenue comes largely from provincial income tax.
- The federal government creates laws and manages programs and services that affect the whole country like mail, banking, railways, airports, RCMP, criminal law, national defense and more. The federal budget comes largely from federal income tax.
Members of the City's executive leadership team will be on hand at the Municipal Mingle on Wednesday, May 15 at Towne Square to chat with you about our local government and more!
Altawana Drive
Attention drivers: detour ahead! The section from the bottom of Altawana Drive hill to 7th Street NE will be closed for underground maintenance from May 13 to July 18. This closure will require detours for Transit Route 10 NE and Route 11 NW Crescent Heights, and may cause significant delays. Traffic will be detoured up Parkview Drive to 12 Street NE to navigate around the work zone. The intersections at Parkview Drive/12 Street NE and 7 Avenue NE/12 Street NE will have additional traffic controls to accommodate the extra traffic.
New! HAT Smart water conservation incentive
At Monday's meeting, Council approved a one-time budget amendment to add $150,000 to the HAT Smart program to incorporate a water conservation incentive program. Applicants may receive a rebate of 50% of eligible expenses to a maximum of $75 to $500 depending on the category:
- Xeriscape materials
- Drought tolerant ground cover or turf
- Low flow exterior sprinklers
- WaterSense® irrigation system controller
- WaterSense® low flow toilet
In addition: smaller water conservation items like drought resistant plants, rain barrels, rain barrel accessories, soaker hoses, and watering timers are now eligible under the existing Scratch and Win program.
hatsmart.ca Read the news release
When in drought... collect it!
Consider using a rain barrel to collect the rain we're getting this week. There are many benefits:
- provides an additional water source for your plants while water conservation measures are in place
- rainwater is free! use it to water plants, lawn and trees
- you avoid paying consumption fees to use City treated water for outdoor watering
- using rainwater helps to reduce demand on the City water distribution system during peak demand
- reduces run-off onto streets and into the storm sewer system which can help minimize local flooding and ponding on the roadways during heavy rain events
Did you know that we're giving away 30 rain barrels at Municipal Mingle on May 15 at Towne Square? The first 30 people to visit the water conservation booth can sign up to have a rain barrel delivered right to their address.
How is the City's budget structured?
While we work on developing the 2025-2026 city budget, we thought we'd share how our budget is structured. Our finances are split into four distinct business units:
- Municipal
- Land Development and Real Estate
- Rate-Based Utilities, includes:
- Water
- Sewer
- Solid Waste
- Electric Distribution
- Gas Distribution
- Energy Production, includes:
- Electric Generation
- Gas Production
Only the municipal business unit is supported by property taxes and by law (Municipal Government Act) cannot run a deficit. The other three business units are generate revenues to cover costs through usage rates (fee for service) or sales (land or energy).
Just launched: Summer Drama Camp
Week #1: July 22-26, in the Esplanade Studio Theatre
Week #2: August 19-23, in the Esplanade Studio Theatre
Children aged 8-12 can discover the enchanting world of theatre this summer at a new 5-day Drama Camp at the Esplanade. There is a maximum of 12 spots per group.
Just announced! Corb Lund Acoustic Trio
Wednesday, November 13, 7:30 p.m. at the Esplanade
Experience the raw authenticity of Alberta’s Corb Lund and his acoustic trio! Hailing from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Lund embodies the spirit of a long line of ranchers and rodeo people. Seamlessly weaving between outlaw country, Western, and indie-folk, the Canadian singer-songwriter brings an honest curiosity and rowdy devotion.
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