Drumheller’s new Town Council will be holding their first meeting on Monday.
After being elected on October 21, the new council has spent some time getting oriented. Monday, November 4, will be their first public meeting. 
The agenda, says Mayor Terry Yemen, is light and aims to pair councillors with various committees, such as the Library Board or Policing Committee.
“Monday’s meeting is solely an organizational meeting, so what’s going to happen there is we’re going to assign the councillors different committees,” said Yemen. “From there, we’re kind of an open slate. I don’t think there were a lot of burning issues leftover from the previous council.”
One of the most colossal tasks for any council is on the horizon, however. This fall, council will delve into budget deliberations.
“It’ll be in the near-distant future. It’s kind of unfortunate that they have the elections this time of year, because one of the first things a new council has to do is one of the most significant things you do,” said Yemen. “In the fall, one of the priorities is always the budget.”
Two issues facing the new council are replacing the water slide at the Aquaplex and the completion of the East Coulee water transmission line.
Yemen says the slide will be discussed in the new year.
“It’s scheduled for us to look at in 2014. There have been people asking us to look at a gradual entry of the pool, too, which would be expensive,” said Yemen.
For East Coulee, residents have raised concerns over the water fill station being constructed at the only entrance into the community. As of right now, the issue isn’t an agenda item.
“It hasn’t been formally asked to be on the agenda, yet,” said Yemen. “The concern over the usage?, I don’t know where it’s coming from. There have been concerns there would be industrial usage and traffic jams from industries using the station, but I don’t see them using it. There’s an industrial fill station in Drumheller that fills a lot faster. I don’t see semis heading out to East Coulee to fill up when they could do it easier in Drumheller,”
Yemen said any problems caused by the fill station would be addressed.
“If it causes problems, there will have to be adjustments made to the operation of it. I think we’ll have to see what problems there are first,” said Yemen.
Drumheller residents elected predominately incumbent council on October 21, with Yemen and Councillors Jay Garbutt, Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk, Sharel Shoff, and Tom Zariski returning for another term. Patrick Kolafa and Tara McMillan were elected as the two new members of council.
Council meetings start at 4:30 p.m. each Monday at Town Hall.
