In a new sort of public view, Medicine Hat city council sat on Monday night under new protocols to avoid groupings during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Senior staff attended via teleconference as did reporters and interested parties in two public hearings held during the 50-minute meeting. The meeting was shown live on lcoal cable televsion as usual by SHAW-TV (Cable-10), though a limited production staff alowed for only a single wide view. -- NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT, April 6, 2020
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Before Monday night’s extraordinary city council meeting, elected officials further hashed out ideas about a localized financial program to help ease the blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After that closed session, the 50-minute open session featured a public hearing held via teleconference, an outline about a new downtown hotel, and a revelation that potentially having robots cut grass in city parks is being studied.
For longtime council observers and reporters ‒ barred from the proceedings by public health order ‒ it was must-see TV.
Mayor Ted Clugston said just wait for further episodes, which he hinted could include tax or utility measures to shield costs to tax and ratepayers struggling as business activity slows and layoffs mount.
“I’m not just blowing smoke here, but I’m really impressed with this council’s determination to sit down and work together on some made-in-Medicine Hat solutions,” said Clugston, after chairing an unusual meeting that was to be broadcast on the city’s website and also shown live with one wide-view camera on SHAW-TV.
“We may not have the amount of money that the other levels of government do,” said Clugston. “And don’t hold your breath, but there could be something coming in the next two to four weeks from this council that will be quite interesting compared with other municipalities throughout the country, frankly.
“Nine people with different views are coming together.”
One item not on Monday’s agenda was a tax mill rate bylaw that will come forward soon, though some have called for the city to defer amounts this summer or hold off with an increase of 4 per cent that was outlined in 2018 when the current budget plan passed.
Earlier in the day, the Calgary city council voted to maintain pre-pandemic recommendations for tax increases to account for provincial budget cuts.
Clugston said that he had no new information about provincial or federal package of aid specific to cities.
In Medicine Hat on Monday night, councillors questioned whether they could cancel a purchase of four 10-year-old grass mowers they were asked to approve.
They were told future purchases might be reconsidered if, as hoped, an ongoing study of using robotic, unmanned mowers proved cheaper.
A non-statutory public hearing on a planned hotel for the long-vacant city-owned parking lot at 603 First Street could involve a deal for spaces at the city-owned transit parkade that could be serviced via valet service.
Hotel developer Aaron Burghardt told council over the phone that he still believes in the project and is hoping to make it work despite current economic stress.
“We’re trying to navigate the obvious challenges that every one is facing right now,” he said. “But, we’re not facing any hurdles from the city.”
His proposal to build a five-storey hotel on the site of the former Reddy Ford dealership was supported unanimously by council.
“It’s going to make a big difference for Medicine Hat and downtown,” said Coun. Julie Friesen, who attended her second meeting via telephone after suffering a bad fall early last month.
She also told council that she would push to form a new council committee to implement the city’s new inter-municipal development and collaboration agreements with Cypress County and Redcliff. Those were passed in late March, but were overshadowed by the pandemic, and include potential cost savings and joint projects of the three partners.
The city also accepted a new joint-fire service agreement.
“I think it went fairly well,” said Clugston afterwards of the meeting procedures. “It was not a huge agenda, but with two public hearings and we were a bit worried about that.”
“Everything’s been over shadowed by COVID-19, obviously, but there’s been some good news, and I think that’s why council has been saying, that the business of the city needs to continue, even during all this.”
