Medicine Hat council votes for municipal inspection as sanctions on mayor lifted
The City of Medicine Hat voted in favour of calling for a municipal inspection from the province on Tuesday in its first meeting after sanctions against Mayor Linnsie Clark were lifted.
The inspection would examine whether the mayor, council and city administration are acting in accordance with provincial rules.
Coun. Andy McGrogan called for it in a notice of motion that cited a “fractured relationship” between the mayor, council and city manager. Council voted 6-3 in favour of calling for an inspection.
Once an official request is filed, Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver will decide whether to conduct the audit.
According to the provincial website, such inspections are be able to review municipal documents like council meetings, bylaws and finances, and interview anyone necessary for the investigation.
A report is then presented to council and residents in an open meeting, and the minister would have the authority to order council and administration to do whatever is necessary to fix any issues an inspection may find.
Generally, an inspection can last between six to 18 months. If the province proceeds with an investigation in this case, it would mean a result may not be filed until after a new city council is in place after the 2025 municipal election.
Heather Jenkins, McIver’s press secretary, said on Wednesday that the ministry hadn’t yet received an official request for an inspection from Medicine Hat council, and that upon receiving the request, the minister will weigh all options before making a decision.
“There’s deeper issues between admin and council and the mayor, and I don’t know if they’re going to be resolved unless we do have a provincial inspection,” McGrogan said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Are we aligned so that we can properly govern this city? And can the next group, when they come in, be more efficient right out of the gate?”
Councillors in favour of the motion argued a third-party investigation could improve public confidence in city hall and offer an opportunity for external recommendations to help it move forward.
Councillors opposed to the idea were concerned about a lack of clarity around how costly and time-consuming the inspection would be, and noted that city staff was already working to update
Clark said she’s open to the inspection, but voted against Tuesday’s motion because she wanted to first hear from city staff about what kind of strain the inspection could place on the city.
“I’m concerned about if we have thought about the implication to various departments,” Clark said. “This would be a significant draw on staff resources.”
Past municipal inspections have been conducted in Alberta communities like Andrew earlier this year and Chestermere in 2022.
At a special council meeting in March, Medicine Hat council found Clark breached its code of conduct bylaw in her treatment of city manager Ann Mitchell at a past meeting by failing to treat her with “courtesy, dignity and respect.”
Council approved a list of sanctions, but most were struck down last week in a Court of King’s Bench Alberta decision.
The decision described sanctions that slashed Clark’s pay and restricted her mayoral duties as unreasonable and disproportionate, while finding a reprimand and request for apology were appropriate.
Clark apologized at the start of Tuesday’s meeting, saying she recognized her comments, while intended to carry out her duties as mayor, caused hurt feelings.
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