Festive lighting at city hall is shown in this Dec. 2 photo.--News Photo Collin Gallant
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Linnsie Clark and most council members say they are moving ahead with the business of council and to accomplish much in the last year of their term, but often behind-the-scenes strife continued to paint issues at city hall in 2024.
That continued through a Court of King’s Bench review of sanctions placed on the mayor, through the passage of a new two-year budget, report on the future of the city-owned power plant, offer to purchase the Saamis Solar project and, late in the year, new push to address homelessness, crime and addictions in the city.
“It doesn’t take precedence over the wellness of our community,” said Clark in a late year interview, citing her push for changes to city policies and the need for housing and economic development, as examples.
“Governance is intermingled in all of that and by improving that, I think we’ll improve transparency and improve accountability and be more in touch with the needs of the community.”
After a much publicized dispute, a court hearing, meetings with municipal consultants, even the minister of municipal affairs, the city submitted to an audit of its processes by the Alberta government.
That’s after a public satisfaction survey done in the spring showed falling levels of confidence in local government, despite high levels of satisfaction with city services.
That’s also as eight other councillors moved ahead with a final-term priorities list that Clark chose not to take part in drafting.
The message on the night it was approved was clearly that council was prepared to act without Clark on board.
Ongoing dispute
The feud between Clark, council and city manager Ann Mitchell actually came the surface in mid 2023 when Clark and Mitchell verbally sparred for 10 minutes at a council meeting over final authority of a corporate reorganization at city hall.
Following a complaint Clark had violated council’s code of conduct from Coun. Shila Sharps, council endorsed an outside report finding guilt and stripped the mayor of half her pay, chairing duties and set other restrictions.
The public was divided and a court review of the decision left the verdict untouched, but called the sanctions unreasonable.
In the fall, council unanimously moved to create a city integrity commissioner to take initial complaints out of a council committee’s hands, and hiring could be complete in early 2025.
Dozens of Clark supporters attended council meetings in the spring to show support.
Lingering fallout
Late in the year, eight councillors pressed ahead with a compact set of priorities for the final year of the council term, despite Clark choosing not to attend a workshopping meeting on the subject in early October.
She also cast a lone protest vote against the 2025-26 city budget this month stating her longstanding requests for human resource data were not fulfilled.
Similar data requests came into focus in the spring, and the cantankerous mood also spread to the public, with a likely record number of freedom of information requests and a formal application to Alberta power regulators to oppose the city’s acquisition of the Saamis Solar project.
Lingering complaints in the public centred on a Clark request for human resources data and the expenses of top administrators – items Clark says she’s been blocked from obtaining.
Late in the year, administrators revealed the cost of complying with FOIP requests had quadrupled. City clerk Larry Randle resigned to take a position with another municipality.
In September, the city announced that Cypress County Chief Administrative Officer Tarolyn Aasrud would become the new city clerk.
Power review
The city’s power business is facing a change in technology, finance, and carbon compliance, council and the public were told in September by administrators outlining hurdles for the municipal power plant.
A plan to reduce the overall carbon footprint and compliance costs ($12 million this year) by buying and building a portion of the Saamis Solar Array, planned near the north-end plant sites, was announced in late summer.
Later in the year, an outside review suggested a municipally controlled corporation model could do better than a city department in driving financial results and strengthening the business.
Reserve changes
Medicine Hat’s near $800-million bank account was changed this year to earmark $150 million toward net-zero transition and account for cleanup liabilities. At the same time the $200-million Heritage Savings Fund was renamed the Medicine Hat Endowment fund and will now funnel about $5 million per year of investment income to offset tax revenue.
Still, a 5.6 per cent tax increase is planned in 2025 and 2026.
Budget
A grant request from HALO air ambulance was debated through a new budget process that began with meetings in the spring and was eventually postponed until city staff can develop an overall policy for such operating requests.
Another grant request for more than $20 million in cash and loans to the Medicine Hat Stampede could be dealt with soon.
Also, staffers are now revisiting a plan to build a $9.5-million food waste composting facility.
