Council Highlights September 18 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.

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Under Councillor Announcements, the following items were shared:

• Councillor Robins offered commendations to the organizers of the Art in Motion event that took place downtown on September 16 and thanked the staff that put time into organizing the event.
• Meeting with a minister update? I will watch the video.

Following a non-statutory public hearing, City Council approved a Direct Control Development Permit Application for temporary self-storage (RV Storage) at 1222 Allowance Avenue SE, subject to the conditions as presented. The previous land use was an industrial operation (flour mill) and the site was decommissioned and has been vacant since 2013.

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

• Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting of August 29, 2023
• Energy, Land and Environment Committee meeting of September 7, 2023

Council received the following items for information:

• Water, Sewer, Storm and Transportation Asset Management Strategy Summary
• Development and Infrastructure Committee outstanding items
• Energy, Land and Environment Committee outstanding items
• Municipal Planning Commission meeting minutes of August 23, 2023
• Development Permits approved between May 1 and August 20, 2023

Stan Nowakowski, Acting Director of Municipal Works, provided a presentation titled Asset Management Strategy – Water, Sewer, Storm and Transportation to Council.

Under new business, Selena McLean-Moore, Director of Economic Development, presented to City Council on the proposed structure of the City’s economic development department. Following the presentation, City Council approved a motion to approve Option One as the preferred 2024 Medicine Hat Economic Development structure and budget, which includes an operating budget increase of $279,000, which includes an additional 3.5 employees for a total department staff of 6.5 and results in total operational budget of $1.814 million.

Ms. McLean-Moore also presented to Council on three economic development major operating expenses for 2023. Following the presentation, Council approved a motion to approve the three expenses, totaling $939,175, funded by third-party grants of $565,000, and City of Medicine operating reserves of $374,175. The funding will support three projects related to the Rural Renewal Program and the SE Alberta Economic Opportunities Strategy and Framework. These projects will support three key strategic pillars, Workforce development, business retention and expansion and investment attraction.

Under new business, City Council approved the sale of the Monarch Theatre with the following key terms and conditions:

(a) a Purchase Price of $100,000;

(b) the Property is sold “as is, where is”; and

(c) a Real Estate Purchase Contract in a form and content satisfactory to the City Manager and  City Solicitor

1911 Monarch Society is the purchaser of the property and plan to continue operating the facility as a movie theatre.

City Council approved a resolution to support the City of Medicine Hat’s Housing Accelerator Fund application, including proposed action plan initiatives, as presented. The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a new $4 billion federal funding program administered by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for municipalities to incentivize the implementation of local initiatives that remove barriers and accelerate the growth of housing supply.

City Council approved a motion to refer amendments to Bylaw 4736, the Public Roads Bylaw, back to committee to consider adding a provision to address youth using bicycles on sidewalks. The original amendments presented to council included 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. The amendment also includes a correction to the wheel diameter size for children’s bicycles required to allow riding on a sidewalk.

Councillor Sharps gave a notice of motion for the October 3 meeting of Council, advising that the motion will be to direct administration to conduct a review of Bylaw 3117, the Unsightly Property bylaw.