File Photo/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

CITY HALL

Medicine Hat City Council meets for final meeting of 2025 on Monday

Dec 15, 2025 | 12:42 PM

Medicine Hat City Council is set to meet for the final time in 2025 on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, with the meeting open to the public at 6:30 p.m.

A pair of public hearings will take place early in the agenda, one to amend the Electric Utility Bylaw and another to amend the Gas Utility Bylaw.

The agenda shows that the 2026 gas and electric utility rate changes that are proposed would vary by customer class, with the average 2026 residential monthly utility bill including a proposed year-over-year increase of $2.25 for electric utility services and 81 cents for gas utility services for a total utility increase of $3.06, including Municipal Consent and Access Fee impacts.

Documents prepared by the City’s business analyst, Jasmin Gross, acknowledge that these proposed budget amendments include the recommended Electric Utility and Gas Utility Bylaw amendments to ensure the Utility Distribution Systems department has adequate financial resources to continue delivering essential distribution services.

Budget amendments are being recommended for the Medicine Hat Police Service.

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The recommendation is that the City Council approve an operating budget amendment of $270,133 in 2025 and $606,168 in 2026, funded through operating reserves.

This is to fund the Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2027, collective agreement settlement between the City of Medicine Hat and the Medicine Hat Police Association.

The Association and the City ratified the terms and conditions to be incorporated into a new collective agreement on Nov. 27, 2025, and Dec. 15, 2025, respectively.

The approved annual operating budget for the Association included wage growth assumptions of 2.25 per cent for 2025 and 2 per cent for 2026.

The actual terms of settlement were 3.75 per cent for 2025 and 3.75 per cent for 2026.

This requires an operating budget amendment to ensure actual wage expenditures are reflected appropriately in each calendar year.

The topic of interim City Manager is on the agenda with no further details included.

There are several rezoning applications to be discussed.

Included at 1064 First St. SE, three properties in the 5300 block of Southland Dr. SE, and the 308/310 Somerside Cres. SE property.

The agenda also shows that several projects and reports scheduled for completion in Dec. 2025 require additional time for review and alignment with upcoming strategic priorities.

A recommendation is being made that Council approve revised reporting deadlines for several previously adopted motions.

• Bylaw 4661 – Community Vibrancy Advisory Board – revised due date of quarter one 2026
• Public Participation Policy – revised due date of quarter one 2026
• Urban Hens – revised due date of quarter one 2026
• Procedure Bylaw update to section 4.7 – revised due date of quarter one 2026
• Whistleblower Policy – revised due date of quarter one 2026
• Regional Food and Organics Waste Strategy – revised due date of quarter two 2026

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