Hat holding strong as city comparisons close

By Collin Gallant on June 5, 2018.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com @CollinGallant

The City of Medicine Hat holds its own when it comes to clearing and fixing roads, according to latest in a series of benchmarking reports, which will be presented tonight at city council’s regular meeting.

The comparative process itself however, is coming to the end of the road.

The Alberta Municipal Benchmarking Initiative was begun in 2013 with Medicine Hat as a founding member of a handful of mid-sized cities that wanted to compare costs and service levels.

Tonight a combined presentation on roadway operations and snow removal will outline the finding to council, representing the second last of seven such studies.

Earlier this year, council heard that with other cities dropping support to extend the project, which so far only compares the years from 2012 to 2014, the program might not proceed.

Reports already released include studies into drinking water, wastewaster, garbage pickup and fire services.

Administrators decided to not make a study of policing public after it was reportedly too difficult to compare the relatively small number of municipal forces against a small number of cities that contract the RCMP.

Studies into parks operations and facility booking are marked as “cancelled” in a summary of the program included with the report.

Only a study of transit services in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat and other remains.

Chief administrator Merete Heggelund told council earlier this year that even if other cities declined to continue with the study, a baseline had been established and the figures would be used internally to track service levels and compare costs year over year internally at the city.

Council discussed the issue and eventually supported taking the issue up with the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association.

Mayor Ted Clugston told the News this spring his lobbying at the mid-sized mayors meetings for the program had produced little new interest.

“It’s a lot of work for staff, and it’s somewhat political,” he said. “It looks like it won’t be going forward, though we’d love to keep it going.”

The roads report was first presented to the city’s infrastructure committee in late may, and will be fully presented to the public tonight.

This week’s council meeting was moved several months ago to Tuesday night from its usual Monday slot. The reasoning is several councillor members were travelling back from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Halifax on the weekend, making a Tuesday meeting preferable.

Council will also take up regular business and hear two public hearings on proposed zoning changes, including one for lands earmarked for a major cannabis production facility.

Bids are expected to be outlined for work on the next phase of the Industrial Avenue Flood Berm, as well as renovations needed at the Brier Park Electric distribution offices.

Council could also pass a proposed two per cent increase to most business licence fees and other development fees proposed in late May.

The natural gas and petroleum unit will discuss a minor divestiture.

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