Community safety top concern in mayor’s annual address

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 20, 2023.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Mayor Blaine Hyggen gives his State of The City address Thursday morning at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

They ate, they listened, they asked. A crowd of almost 200 people packed tables at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday morning to listen to mayor Blaine Hyggen give his first in-person State of the City address.

In a talk that lasted about an hour, the mayor addressed numerous initiatives being undertaken by city council and administration as well as the issues of homelessness, the physician shortage and community safety.

From changes to snow control to municipal historic resources, from city finances to a clean energy program to be announced soon, from the Capital Improvement Plan to plans to mitigate foxtail and grasshoppers, the mayor touched on a multitude of topics.

Cyndi Bester, CEO of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, said after the breakfast the Chamber was happy with the turnout.

She called the numbers “really important as part of the Chamber’s advocacy. We need to be able to connect with our local municipal partners and share with them what’s going on on the business level locally,” she said.

She said relationship building and networking are important.

“Mayor Hyggen is very approachable. If there’s questions and concerns, a lot of it is educating. Let’s get the information out. Often we think we’re communicating but we’re not or we’re not getting out to the right avenues and venues or not to the right ears. So it’s feeding information out.”

With a new council and new budget done, “we needed that out of the way so now we can move forward and see what directions we can take as business leaders to help partner with the City to advocate at the provincial level and the federal level,” said Bester.

Hyggen said after the meeting, he’s heard too often that he focuses on the positives but he thinks that’s important.

“It’s so important we focus on things that are great in our community,” said the mayor.

Concerns of many in attendance, including himself as a business owner, include the struggles they had to deal with during the pandemic as well as increased business taxes, which are higher than residential rates. Higher property assessments were also concerns, he said.

He said the City needs to focus on business retention because that’s what drives the economy and keeps residential taxes lower.

Hyggen said council’s main priorities this year include community safety.

“We heard that loud and clear over the past few years,” he said adding the pandemic hasn’t helped with the homeless situation.

He said dealing with encampments will be a challenge this year as it was in 2022.

“We’re looking at different ways of helping those folks in need with additional shelter space, housing and so that’s probably one of the biggest things that we’ll be looking forward to – mitigating or trying to help through this year those who are homeless,” he added.

During his talk, Hyggen addressed the 5.1 per cent annual residential property tax increase, saying that something needed to be done because having a zero per cent increase for the previous three years and a 1.8 per cent hike the year prior to that, to keep up with inflation and keep services residents want, the increase was needed. It was also needed for community safety and policing, the mayor told the crowd.

Over an eight-year span, the annual budget increase for the taxpayers amounts to 2.8 per cent when those four prior years are considered, the mayor said.

As a business owner, he said he has the same concerns as others about higher taxes and property assessments.

He also said that responding to the drug crisis is a “very complex issue,” telling the audience council doesn’t direct the Lethbridge Police Service, that task being the role of the police commission.

He said municipalities don’t have jurisdiction over health care but council supports efforts to attract and maintain physicians. He said that support is a collaborative effort between several partners.

A marketing campaign is being done in conjunction with the Chinook Primary Care Network, Alberta Health Services and Economic Development Lethbridge to sell physicians on the benefits of building a life and business in Lethbridge, the mayor said.

Seventeen family medicine physicians have been committed to the city and four have started working here. Two more are anticipated this month with five more by April and the final six starting by July, the mayor noted.

In a response to a question about sober shelters, Hyggen said not every homeless person is addicted so such a facility would support those who need support services in a different way than those who do have addictions issues.

One person said people sitting at the construction association table were surprised about the number of business owners who are dealing with assessments that have increased by up to 14 per cent in value for their residences and commercial properties. He asked if the City could put a maximum per year on increases in assessed values.

He said catchup is not fair and is too much to ask for and they’re asking for a review and a bylaw to be put in place.

He thanked city manager Lloyd Brierley for his work “but we’ve dealt with many city managers” over the past years and expressed a need for stability in that position.

Hyggen responded by saying council meets regularly with the city manager talking about various issues.

Hyggen told the questioner that Brierley has said this is where he wants to be.

“I take it to heart that he means what he says, he wants to be here for the duration,” said Hyggen.

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