New Council, More Closed Doors: The Numbers Tell The Story
The city's own rules say that any item not dealt with in a closed session must go to the next closed session unless they hold a vote in open council to defer it to another date. However, items are being deferred with no return date. They are falling off the radar.
Summer Break, Closed Doors, and a Big Middle Finger to Transparency
Remember how well that worked August 19 2024 when the open meeting was cancelled, ostensibly for a lack of agenda items? That time it was after the summer break. The September 3 2024 meeting went into overtime - it was a marathon session at just over 5 hours that went until 11:32pm. Nobody makes good decisions that close to midnight.
The Seconder Rule: What Councillors Say vs. What the Law Requires
Two Medicine Hat city councillors have said that councillors should get a seconder for a motion before bringing it to a council meeting. But the Municipal Government Act and the official handbook for councillors say something different. This difference matters because Medicine Hat residents already have a low tolerance for decisions made behind closed doors.
