With a budget approval still to come in 2021, among other council tasks, Medicine Hat's newest elected officials have a lot of information to absorb in a short period of time.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Medicine Hat has a new city council – and a raft of incoming councillors without political or high-level administrative experience – but the woman in the mayor’s chair says it will set a strategy in the next few months, then put it in place “collaboratively.”
Linnsie Clark became mayor on Monday night to lead a council with six of eight new members new to local government, and who will be sworn in early next month.
After just two meetings that month, it will be asked to pass a major budget update before the end of the year.
Economic development, recreation facilities, the power plant and even city hall administration all became hot topics on the campaign trail.
Clark, who herself won in her first political campaign, says she’s encouraged by the mix and confident the group can coalesce around some common goals for the next four-year term.
“Honestly, I’m very excited about the council,” she said. “There’s definitely some new folks on council bringing their ideas mixed with some existing council.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity to have a diverse group of people to determine how we together can move forward and accomplish our goals for the city.”
New council members will be sworn into office on Nov. 1 with an organization meeting and committee assignments due at then.
Between now and then Clark plans to meet with each and launch a strategy process.
Only two members – Robert Dumanowski and Darren Hirsch – have previous experience on city council, while Andy McGrogan was a senior municipal administrator as police chief up before his retirement early this year.
Top vote getter Ramona Robins is a manager with the Alberta Crown Prosecutors office and has served on minor boards. Alison Van Dyke is also on a number of non-government boards, and boasts experience with non-profit organizations as do remaining councillors Shila Sharps and Cassi Hider.
That group will be asked to vote by year-end on an outgoing council recommendation to cut a a further $8 million to balance the budget without a tax increase or using reserve spending (a process called “Accelerated Financially Fit”).
That will need to be addressed, said Dumanowski, the most veteran member of council heading into his seventh term. He has chaired two council committees for most of the last eight years, and tells the News he feels his experience is an asset to the group, and is prepared to discuss priorities with new colleagues and potential roles with his new council colleagues.
“We certainly can’t sit back,” he said. “If everyone is off in nine directions, we won’t get anywhere.”
“There’s been significant change, and (setting a strategy) is paramount to everything else right now. We have to figure out how everything fits.”
He would also like to decide a way forward for economic development sooner than later.
While there are no immediate decisions on the city’s hotly debated “Waterfront District” project, he said, the city should signal its level of support to private sector developers.
On the economic development front, the city’s attraction and land sales office, Invest Medicine Hat, has signalled a number of significant announcements would be made this fall and winter. The province will announce a hydrogen strategy in November.
The issue of how Invest MH operates, as well, is an issue, based on campaigns. It currently answers to city manager Bob Nicolay, not a council committee.
Clark says she has no immediate plans to revamp the department without discussions and direction from council.
Up first though is the budget plan, pushed forward last term by incumbent Hirsch, who also called change to dividend policy last year and budget tightening to keep from further depleting city reserve cash.
Allison Knodel, a 30-year-old teacher, said she needs to dive in to the city’s financials before a new four-year budget is developed ahead of 2023.
“I want to see responsible decision making on the budget,” said Allison Knodel,
“We’re in a situation where we can’t be hasty. I want to be slow and methodical and want people to know I’m accessible on the budget.”
Last year the city announced $15 million in spending cuts, but few particulars were outlined. Reduced staffing and positions, some accounting changes and the maintained closure of three recreation facilities through the year were key items.
Those rec centres will also be part of a decision on recreation facilities related to a parks and recreation masterplan, due this month, which became a major election issue as part of bigger issues of capital spending plans on new regional replacement facilities.
Alison Van Dyke campaigned on keeping the centres operating, and now wants to hear other councillor’s priorities.
“It will be a big learning curve, because some of us are new, but we’re eager to get to work,” she said.
