Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Eli J. Ridder

CITY HALL

Medicine Hat to publicize staff expenses, council delays decision on other HR metrics

Apr 7, 2025 | 8:30 PM

The amount of money senior city employees spend on expenses such as travel, meals and hosting will be posted publicly twice a year by Medicine Hat after council approval Monday night.

But additional proposals to publish severance payment amounts and other metrics were delayed until June 2, when staff will return with a report on the impact of revealing the data publicly.

Council unanimously passed Coun. Andy McGrogan’s motion to get the line-by-line expenses of the city manager, managing directors and directors posted in the spring and fall.

“This council has preached accountability and transparency from the onset of this term and this actually creates yet another level that the public would expect from those expending public funds,” McGrogan said.

Coun. Ramona Robins said she was “a little bit worried” about how posting the expenses will be processed but said the stipulation for twice a year gives administration time to sort out the logistics.

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Coun. Shila Sharps said if it’s “FOIP-able”, in reference to the provincial freedom and privacy act, then the city should get the information out there.

“Let’s just get it off the table where it’s out in the open,” Sharps said.

Medicine Hat’s fire chief — considered part of the “director level” — will be included among of the officials included in the new expense policy.

The police chief, who reports to the police commission, will not.

A separate pair of motions from Sharps to post severance payments to the public and post human resource metrics failed to garner enough support as-is to pass Monday.

Sharps said there’s no context when data comes out in the public through the provincial privacy act and by publishing various human resource metrics, the city is able to “control the narrative” and allow for increased transparency.

But there was some support around the horseshoe for the idea if it wouldn’t negatively impact former employees and if the same information is available through Alberta’s privacy act.

Others, like Coun. Robert Dumanowski, said those should be deliberated in a private meeting.

“This is appropriate but I think it should be done by our employee in a closed meeting going forward,” Dumanowski said.

Coun. Ramona Robins said posting the severances could make it difficult for former city staff.

“My concern is not that the taxpayers don’t know where the money is going,” Robins said.

“My concern is that the employee who might have been let go, who wants to get another job may have information about them that’s easily discernible just by figuring it out.”

Clark wanted Sharps’ motions to pass.

“Information is a necessary aspect of democracy,” Clark said.

“People cannot participate in democracy in their democracy if they don’t have the requisite information to so participate,” she added.

“That is…one of the fundamental criteria of a functioning democracy.”

Mitchell responded that the city is not being “obstructionist” but, as city manager, is tasked with making sure that staff have capacity.

Council ended up postponing the severance motion until its June 2 meeting.

Sharps’ second proposal to publish various other human resource metrics — including the total number of city staff, voluntary and involuntary terminations, safety statistics and others — was also pushed back to the same date.

A follow up motion passed unanimously directed administration to provide council an analysis to see what elements of Sharps’ motions would get disclosed through the provincial privacy act.

The Mustard Seed

A McGrogan motion to request a status update on the zoning of The Mustard Seed’s overnight shelter received unanimous approval at council.

At a meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission in February, residents raised concerned over the validity of the shelter’s development permit.

McGrogan, who chairs the MPC, said the ask is just to get information. The motion passed Monday directs staff to return to council with information at the April 22 open meeting.

This is a developing story. More details to follow.