City council meets Monday. (Courtesy: City of Medicine Hat)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Mayor’s written request, unsightly bylaw and other items return to council Monday

May 6, 2024 | 6:30 PM

Frequent Medicine Hat city council watchers may get a sense of déjà vu from Monday’s agenda as a few items make a return for further or final consideration.

WATCH: City council meeting May 6

Mayor Linnsie Clark’s information request, the tax incentive bylaw, an amendment to the unsightly property bylaw and the respectful workplace policy were all on city agendas in recent weeks.

Clark’s expenses request

Clark is determined to get a series of six separate financial and employee expense lines and have the information presented at council.

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The mayor has maintained she should be able to request access to the financial numbers in her role as an elected official.

“I have a duty to enquire and obtain information about the operation and administration of the city from the city manager,” Clark recently said.

Consideration of Clark’s request comes amid tension at city hall following the sanctioning of the mayor in March.

Unsightly property bylaw

Residents will no longer be able to keep dilapidated vehicles on their lawns should changes to the Unsightly Property Bylaw pass at council.

Cars that are “incapable of being safely operated”, “partially or fully wrecked” or “dismantled or substantially damaged” are included as an infraction of the proposed bylaw.

Other changes include rules requiring that vacant buildings are boarded up and that exposed wood is coated with opaque protective finish.

The city manager will also gain the power to set minimum security requirements.

The fines for a first offense at a residence have been increased. The minimum has gone from $250 to $300 and the maximum from $400 to $500.

The charges for subsequent offenses remain the same: $500 at a minimum to not more than $10,000 at a maximum.

Non-residential property fines also remain unchanged: $500 minimum and $1,000 maximum on first offense to $2,000 minimum and $10,000 maximum on subsequent infractions.

Respectful workplace policy

City council on Monday will consider a proposal to combine the Workplace Violence Prevention and Respectful Workplace polices into one Respectful Workplace Policy.

With combining the two policies, the new proposed Respectful Workplace Policy is a more comprehensive policy, staff said.

The previous Respectful Workplace Policy was put in place in 2014. It was brought forward to administration committee in June 2023.

It comes forward to council Monday night.

What else?

An amendment to the tax incentive bylaw and the 2024 water conservation incentive program are also on the agenda.

For more on these items and to read more, the full agenda can be viewed at MedicineHat.ca.

The council meeting will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel.