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A Public hearing set for today (June 23) is the final step in MCC review for the City of Red Deer.
Citizens are invited to attend a public hearing tonight to share their feedback as city council considers transitioning the city's electric utility to a municipally controlled corporation (MCC).
The public hearing marks the culmination of more than three years of focused work on the Utility Governance Modernization Project.
Dating back to 2022, an initial scoping study identified alternative governance options to manage the city’s nearly 100-year-old electric utility and position it for long-term sustainability, reliability and growth.
The options included:
- Department+ – investment in the existing municipal department model
- Transition to an MCC
- Divestment – selling the utility
Through a series of independent evaluations, benchmarking and analysis, council provided direction in the summer of 2024 to explore a potential transition to an MCC.
Since then, the city has undertaken a thorough and legislated MCC review process.
The project team worked closely with independent, external consultants to develop a business plan outlining how the MCC would operate and be financed.
A series of open houses was held across the community to educate and inform citizens on the proposed change and how they could participate in the decision-making process.
“This process has been rigorous and comprehensive, involving detailed financial modelling, risk assessments, governance analysis and comparisons with other municipal utilities across Canada,” said Sarah Tittemore, general manager of community services.
“We’ve taken the time to fully understand the implications of this potential change, and council is now equipped with a clear, well-researched foundation to support its decision-making.”
The public hearing will be held tonight (June 23) at 5:00 p.m. in council chambers.
For details on how to participate, visit: reddeer.ca/publichearing.
To learn more about the project and what an MCC is, visit: reddeer.ca/UtilitiesModel.
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