COMCO Rate Review Update Delayed - Two Years and Counting Now
Medicine Hat City Hall - photo credit Kelly Allard
Background
Bold Italic Was Originally published February 14 2023
Where is Our Rate Review?
It’s Been Over a Year
It Won’t Be Anytime Soon
Kelly here
The Utility Rate Review has been on the Outstanding items List for the Energy and Infrastructure Committee (E&I) since Feb 3 2022. Council asked for this as residents wanted to know
“What is the point of owning our own utility if we are paying market rates?”
It was moved to the Outstanding Items List on the newly created (Nov 2022) Economic, Land, Strategic Planning and Development Committee (ELSPD). The same council members are on both committees
Alison Van Dyke - Chair
Robert Dumanowski - Vice Chair
Andy McGrogan
(The mayor sits on all committees as well)
I covered the ELSPDC meeting Jan 24 2023 where they discussed this. Staff wanted more clarity as to what the review covered.
Did Council want a cursory review or an in-depth one?
(An in-depth one would mean assigning staff to such a big project)
Did Council want an analysis of the benefits /drawbacks of owning our own utility?
(A good thing to know at all times.)
They came up with a document asking Council for more clarity.
The majority of Council shot it down, focussing on the wording of the document instead of saying
“Here is what we meant last year when we asked you for the Rate Review.”
These committee meetings are taped for a short time for council and staff use. If the other council members had taken the time to view that committee meeting they would have known what the request was all about.
Instead, Council actually sent it BACK to committee requesting more clarity on the request for clarity.
Only (Alison) Van Dyke and (Linnsie)Clark voted for it, the rest voted against (Allison Knodel was absent).
Seeing the results of the vote, Mayor Clark said
“I continue to be surprised.”
I admit I was surprised too given that two members of the committee who attended the meeting and KNEW what the request was about voted AGAINST it.
After an entire YEAR we are no closer to getting our promised Rate Review.
Our mayor is the ONLY full time council member. Maybe it’s time all our of our council members are full time.
Fast Forward to February 2024
At the February 1 2024 Energy Land and Environment Committee Meeting, we were told that there would be an update on the COMCO Strategic Review at the February 15 2024 meeting. An RFP for the COMCO Strategic Review had been posted November 10 2023; it closed on December 21 2023.
There were
12 plan takers
9 submitted bids
The February 15 2024 meeting was cancelled because of a lack of quorum; two of the three Committee members were not able to attend.
Committee members are
Councillor Darren Hirsch - Chair
Councillor Alison Van Dyke - Vice Chair
Councillor Shila Sharps
Normally this would not be a big deal but we have been waiting for a review for over 2 years now. Residents got quite irate last summer, one would think Council would want to make sure they got this done as expeditiously as possible.
Up until July 17 2023
Our mayor was an ex-officio for all committees and commissions with the power to ask questions and the power to vote.
Up until July 17 2023
The mayor could have attended that meeting. She could have voted and we could have had our update.
Up until July 17 2023
I had seen the mayor attend nearly every single meeting, remotely if not in person. She does not attend very often anymore.
(After the election, I often saw council members attend meetings they were not appointed to, I rarely see that any more. I liked the fact that the mayor was able to participate in every committee / commission meeting. It seemed wise to have at least one person on council with a sense of continuity. All too often the part-time council members seem to be woefully uninformed at the council table.)
On July 17 2023
Council in its infinite wisdom removed that privilege when the mayor was on vacation.
“Councillor R. Dumanowski - Councillor A. Van Dyke moved that Council direct administration to make amendments to Bylaw 4725 to provide that any member of council may attend Standing Committees as an observer but only those members appointed to Standing Committees are allowed to make motions and vote.”
It passed 7-0, Mayor Clark and Councillor Robins were absent.
Here are the minutes
No other member of council had that power, only the mayor. This move was obviously directed at the mayors office. The mayor is the only FULL-TIME council position.
(Unless they are retired or independently wealthy, the other 8 members squeeze in council duties when it doesn’t interfere with their day jobs.)
I spoke with the Managing Director of Energy, Land and Environment Rochelle Pancoast yesterday (February 15 2024).
Ms Pancoast was very pleasant but would not disclose who was unable to attend the meeting, nor would she tell me if the RFP had been awarded, saying only
“I will wait until everyone can be updated.”(not verbatim)
(Fair enough. I did not really expect an answer but I had to ask.)
It’s starting to look like Council is ”Finding Out”.
If you want to let council know how you feel about this, here is the contact page.
#kasosumh #thetrashpanda #comtv #communityTV #elspd #yxh #medicinehat #fulltimecouncil
