A review on closed meetings by city staff comes forward at council tonight. (City of Medicine Hat)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Closed meetings review, environmental framework, downtown enhancement: Medicine Hat council tonight

Dec 18, 2023 | 4:10 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – City council’s final meeting of 2023 will kick off Monday night, bringing a tumultuous year for Medicine Hat’s elected officials to an end.

A discussion over the closed session meetings review, a proposed financial boost to the environmental framework project and notice of motions for grants that aim to improve the city’s downtown will all come up at council tonight.

CLOSED MEETINGS

City councils will occasionally hold closed meetings — meaning no one but members of council and relevant staff are allowed in — to make decisions that qualify as an exception to disclosure under the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Council on Nov. 20 asked city staff to investigate the need for regularly scheduled closed session meetings and report back in December.

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Coun. Shila Sharps, who proposed the review, said having a set time for the private sessions could occasionally be time better spent.

Having those meetings regularly makes it easier for items to end up on the agenda, Sharps said.

The city’s administration department created a report that outlines why and when closed meetings should be used.

Staff will ask council to either keep the current approach to scheduled closed meetings or give staff specific direction on what councillor would like changed. That would also require amendments to a procedural bylaw.

Council could decide through a discussion tonight or later what changes they would like to see to the closed meetings approach.

ENVIRONMENTAL FRAMEWORK

Administration staff will ask council to accept an $80,000 third-party grant from the Alberta Municipalities’s climate action centre for its environmental framework budget.

That will increase total project funding for the environmental framework to $280,000.

DOWNTOWN ENHANCEMENT

Coun. Ramona Robins has posted a notion of motion to tonight’s agenda.

She’s asking city staff to create a downtown enhancement grant program that would provide funding for extra security and cleaning measures.

Robins also wants staff to create a capital project grant program for non-profit agencies and recommendations about how much money to put into the program.

A notice of motion is a way for councillors to give a heads up that a motion is coming down the pipeline so no decisions will be made on Robins proposal tonight.

OLD FOOD BANK

Council will also vote on whether to authorize staff to sell the building at 532 Railway Street SE, the former location of the food bank.

A staff report that made its way through committee earlier this month recommends selling it for $249,900.

Tonight’s agenda can be viewed on MedicineHat.ca.