Coun. Shila Sharps and five other councillor members have called for analysis of recently passed increases to business license fees in the city. --News Photo Collin Gallant
@MedicineHatNews
City council has called for analysis of recently passed city fees that bump costs above the rate of inflation.
Business owners objected earlier this month when renewals were charged at the 2025 rate of $200 for a general licence, up from $113 last year.
On Monday, Coun. Shila Sharps introduced a motion to bring back the charges – passed among budget items in late December – to council this winter.
“It looks like there’s been some fallout in the community and they’d like it investigated urgently,” said Sharps, the chair of the development and infrastructure committee, which oversees the planning department that handles business licensing.
If the motion is approved at Council’s Feb. 3 meeting, the fee issue will return directly to council.
“It’s a group notice of motion that’s been initiated by Coun. Hirsch, who I thank for elevating the issue.”
The motion refers back the business licensing bylaw to administration for them to flag any changes that “result in any changes greater than inflation.”
The 2025-26 city budget includes move $1.7 million in new revenue from fees and charges to help balance the budget.
For several years council-approved budget philosophy is to increase recovery of costs to provide services, which theoretically would require rates to rise faster than inflation.
“I don’t think doubling fees is what we had in mid, and if it’s doubling we want to have a look at it,” Sharps told reporters following the meeting.
“Maybe we didn’t question (the fee changes) as much as we should have, and shame on us… let’s get this back to the table.”
