Council received a report on the results of the Public Information Open House which was held on March 5, 2025 at the Badlands Community Facility (BCF).
Communications officer Erica Crocker explained there were a total of 14 booths from various Town departments and partner organizations and contracted services, including Emergency and Protective Services, Drumheller Fire and RCMP, Wild Rose Assessment Services, Corporate Services, Recreation, Arts, and Culture, and Economic Development. She explained, compared to previous events, this had a much broader representation of topics, and members of council were also present to greet and engage with residents.
An estimated 350 residents attended the event, though only 18 participated in the post-event survey. Based on the responses from the survey, the top four topics were Property Assessment and Taxation, Water and Wastewater, Flood Mitigation, and Development Permits, Land Planning, and Safety Codes.
Ms. Crocker noted respondents expressed staff were friendly and informative, learned something new and found the event to be helpful, and that they were satisfied with responses to their questions. About 60 per cent of respondents were satisfied with this being an annual event, while 30 per cent would like to see it hosted twice a year, and 10 per cent would like to see this become a quarterly event.

Council gave first reading to Bylaw 09.25 - Downtown Berm Riverside East Removal of Land Designation, and set the public hearing date for Monday, May 5.
Part of the east end of the Downtown Berm, along Riverside Drive East near 3 Street East, is currently located on a Municipal Reserve and, in order to comply with the requirements of the flood mitigation funding agreement, this designation must be removed and redesignated as a Public Utility Lot (PUL) at a future date.
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Council gave all three readings to Bylaw 10.25 Downtown Berm Riverside West Land Designation to designate a portion of land occupied by the Downtown Berm located east of the Badlands Community Facility as a PUL.
Council also gave all three readings to Bylaw 11.25 Michichi Creek East Berm Land Designation to create three PULs on land occupied by the Michichi East Berm located along the Red Deer River.
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Council gave first and second reading to Bylaw 17.25 Amending Bylaw 04.21 Council and Committee Procedure.
Due to amendments to the Local Authorities Elections Act and the Municipal Government Act (MGA) in October 2024, requiring that Council hold public hearings pertaining to planning and development electronically, it is required this change be enacted by no later than April 30, 2025. The amending bylaw is necessary to facilitate this change.
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Council approved the appointment of Councillor Tony Lacher to sit on the Red Deer River Municipal Users Group (RDRMUG) and Mayor Heather Colberg to sit on the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC) boards until the 2025 Organizational Meeting or until Councillor Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk is able to return.
Councillor Hansen-Zacharuk was granted a leave of absence in January 2025, which was extended in March 2025 due to medical reasons.
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Council directed administration to seek approval from the Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services to form its own Municipal Policing Committee for the Town.
Administration will write a letter to the Minister requesting the Town create its own committee. The Town will begin drafting an updated terms of reference in anticipation of approval from the Minister, with an anticipated deadline of August 1, 2025.
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Council awarded the construction portion of the 2025 Street Improvement Program (SIP) to Grindstone Paving and Excavating Ltd for a total of $529,720.43 excluding GST. Council approved the reallocation of the remaining $355,414.59 in the budget to the 6 Avenue Extension project to ensure completion without drawing from reserves.
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Council awarded the 6 Avenue Road Connection project to East Butte Contracting Ltd as the lone compliant bidder for a total budget of $1,688,014.59 excluding GST.
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Council approved the procurement of a hook truck from Haul-All Equipment for the sum of $290,698.53 excluding GST.
The total budget was initially $315,000 and cost savings of $24,301.47 will remain in the Light Fleet Program due to some uncertainty with vehicle prices due to the ongoing trade war with the U.S.
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Council gave all three readings to Bylaw 18.25 Supplementary Property Tax.
The general tax levy is levied in the spring and is based on annual assessments prepared as of December 31 of the previous year. It does not consider the portion of properties constructed and completed after December 31 of the previous year and accounts for improvements completed after December 31.