Medicine Hat city council requested the municipal inspection in September 2024. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Olivia Thorington

EXCLUSIVE

Medicine Hat’s municipal audit coming to council at July 21 meeting, councillors say

Jul 8, 2025 | 2:25 PM

A municipal audit of Medicine Hat city hall nearly a year in the making will be presented to the public for the first time at council’s July 21 meeting, CHAT News has learned.

The inspection was requested by council in September 2024 after a months-long leadership crisis sparked by a disagreement between the mayor and chief administrator over procedure and authority.

Coun. Andy McGrogan, a former police chief, first revealed his proposal to call for the non-financial audit a day after a Calgary court restored many of the powers council stripped from Mayor Linnsie Clark earlier last year.

Then-municipal affairs minister Ric McIver agreed to council’s request and decided to move ahead with the inspection in November after completing an initial preliminary stage that included interviews with members of council and administration.

Many councillors hope the audit will act as a reset ahead of the fall municipal inspection, setting up the next term of council for success. City chief administrator Ann Mitchell said last year an inspection could return the public’s trust in city hall.

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The investigation’s lead inspector Ian McCormack said earlier this year the audit would be published in June.

Couns. McGrogan and Shila Sharps confirmed to CHAT News on Tuesday the inspection will come forward at council’s last meeting of July.

A spokesperson for the Municipal Affairs Ministry would not confirm the timing but did say the inspection would be made public when it comes forward at the meeting.

“We are actively and diligently working on having the inspection report presented to council and all Medicine Hatters this summer,” the spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

“Once it is presented to council, it will be available for all those interested in it.”

A year in the making

Council voted 6-3 at its Sept. 4 meeting last year to ask for the audit.

Couns. McGrogan, Darren Hirsch and Robert Dumanowski argued the municipal inspection would help the city find any deep-rooted issues and provide an opportunity for a much-needed council reset.

Sharps, the councillor who filed a complaint over Clark’s treatment of the city manager, claimed the administrative bylaw was violated multiple times in the past.

Clark accused City Manager Mitchell of breaking that bylaw during a tense exchange in 2023 that led to a code of conduct complaint, a third-party investigation and sanctions on the mayor.

Council violated the same bylaw in January 2022 when it created public relations and chief of staff roles that reported to the mayor, Sharps said.

Mitchell, as the city’s chief employee, moved the pair to report to her as part of a broader reorganization of city hall and to align with Alberta’s Municipal Government Act.

Sharps said the alleged violation by council and mayor could be investigated as part of a provincial audit.

Councillors Ramona Robins and Alison Van Dyke joined Clark in voting against McGrogan’s motion. All three said they couldn’t support an inspection without knowing the full cost and potential reputational impact it could have on the city.

McIver approval

Former municipal affairs minister Ric McIver granted approval for the audit to move ahead, the City of Medicine Hat confirmed in November 2024.

The provincial ministry started with a scoping exercise that included meetings between provincial staff and each member of city council and executive administration.

Following the preliminary work, the ministry determined an inspection was necessary to assist the current council and administration in improving governance and processes.

City and provincial officials were hoping at the time that the inspection could be completed before Alberta’s fall civic elections.

The municipal affairs minister, now Dan Williams, has authority to order necessary action to remedy any issues found through the inspection, according to legislation.

In the past, that has ranged from firing council members to providing guidance on how to improve policies.