Medicine Hat's city council will consider the 2025-26 budget Monday evening. File Photo/CHAT News

By Eli J. Ridder

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Medicine Hat council continuing budget talks tonight, staff say defer HALO decision

Dec 16, 2024 | 5:45 PM

Medicine Hat’s city council will give passing the 2025-26 budget another go tonight.

Council adjourned talks at its Dec. 2 meeting with questions for staff over a $500,000 funding request from HALO Air Ambulance, a $9.5-million food waste compost facility and studies that city hall carries out.

Administrative staff is recommending that council defer the request from HALO until the city can set up a formal framework to evaluate all non-profit requests that come forward to council.

HALO was asked to formally request financial support and did so at the Dec. 2 meeting.

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The organization requested the city split up $1.5 million in funding over six years at $250,000 annually to keep the city at the table.

Administration is recommending that council approve a $9.5-million food waste compost project, saying it will not impact the 5.6 per cent tax rate increase proposed for 2025 and 2026.

In a report to council, staff write the facility will provide revenue from carbon credits and will increase the life of the city’s landfill.

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READ: Medicine Hat city council pushes back budget decision

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Council at its last meeting also asked staff about its studies and if they were regulatory requirements or commissioned by city hall itself.

Studies may be conducted when the City requires more information tomake a sound strategy and path forward, staff write.

For its “new growth opportunities”, there were only three projects were identified totaling $965,000 that were exclusively studies or plans and did not include some component of implementation, staff say.

Of the three projects, only two projects worth $365,000 were related to the municipal budget and therefore has an impact on the tax rate.

That includes $40,000 on the airport socio-economic study, $325,000 on the water management strategy and $600,000 on the water treatment plant master plan.

The City of Medicine Hat is required to pass a budget before the end of the year. Tonight marks the final scheduled meeting of 2024.

If council is unable to pass the budget tonight, Mayor Linnsie Clark will be forced to call a special meeting of council to get it done before the new year.

The public council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel or in-person at city hall.