Members of Medicine Hat city council sit in this December 2022 File Photo -- News File photo
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City council will wrestle with a full agenda tonight as the summer begins with debate on utility rate relief, discussion on recreation facilities planning and a presentation on a controversial spay and release program proposal for feral cats.
Two weeks ago, council called on administrators to develop potential relief options for city power customers who face rising rates this summer and again discussed the potential scope of an overarching utility rate-setting review.
The issue of the review will be dealt with by an information package for council on current practice, while administrators will recommend that council allocates an additional $500,000 to a program that helps qualifying low-income earners, but not wider relief.
Last year, council extended a Fair Entry program available to Hatters living below the low-income threshold with a monthly credits on utility bills throughout the year, but with larger amounts in high-use months.
Additional money would raise that subsidy to $200 per month from August to December for the 415 registrants of the program and any new utility customer who applies and falls below the Statistics Canada definition of a low-income earner in Medicine Hat.
For 2022 that local level was $19,042 for a single person, or $36,005 for a family of four.
Two years ago, council approved $4.81 million in reserve funding be used to provide a $135 credit on residential and condo accounts, but as a general COVID relief program, not necessarily in light of utility costs.
Medicine Hat’s 30,000 power account holders are now considering contract options after many took part in a six-month extension of 2022 prices for power, but with rates set to at least double over the summer. That could add $50 or more per month to the power portion of bills this summer.
Other options considered included approving a 5-cent per kilowatt hour discount for August and September, (estimated to cost $5.8 million in total), or providing a one-time $100 credit in August ($3.23 million). Staff also evaluated the potential of opening contracts to allow lowest the between term and floating rates, forgiving some amounts in arrears, or deferring any action until the business year end.
New rates for monthly default contracts and 12-month fixed contracts are due out Tuesday morning.
Last week a council committee voted to bring back a bylaw that would allow a trap, neuter and release, or TNR program under an amended Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw. At that meeting, council members voted to bring the issue – that had been defeated in June – back to council.
Officials from the SPCA of Medicine Hat and Alberta Pound and Rescue Centre – the city’s pound service provider – will provide an overview of the program and answer questions from council tonight. A bylaw may be re-introduced at a subsequent meeting.
A separate presentation is also scheduled for members of the Medicine Hat Curling Club several months after council agreed to underwrite a number of capital projects to get the club operating again this fall. The financial aspect of about $1.5 million would be offset by grant applications and fundraising. The item is described as an update.
The results of a special survey of council that asked for members to rank decision making strategies in recreation facility planning will be presented.
There are also several budget amendments:
– The city assets department is asking for an additional $250,000 to upgrade a secondary emergency access to the community of Saamis to allow limited use for private vehicles on a pathway currently reserved for first-responders during road blockages at Sierra Boulevard and Southridge Drive;
– An additional $150,000 over the next 18 months would provide additional security and allow the public washrooms at the city’s transit terminal to operate 24 hours, seven days per week (council will also be asked to approve postponing washroom construction at Towne Square until other measures can be evaluated);
– A budget amendment will be required if council approves changing development standards to require higher capacity electric infrastructure in new subdivisions. Some of the cost of installing 200-amp service lies with the developer and homeowner, but the change would also require an increase to limits on capital costs in place in the department’s business plan (from $3,000 per lot to $3,400).
