Council Overview
Information from Drumheller
Town Council Regular Meeting
Monday, June 8, 2020
Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting by declaring June as National Indigenous History Month.
On behalf of Gen Now, the millennial committee, Councilor Kristyne DeMott spoke in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
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Council adopted the minutes from the May 25 Regular Council Meeting and adopted the minutes from the Special Council Meeting on June 1.
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Ryan Semchuk of Travel Drumheller presented on its activities during the COVID-19 response and looking forward toward opening. Its objectives are to support the town and help flatten the curve, protect the reputation as a world-class destination, and maintain its relationship with partners and ensure they have a DMO moving forward.
During the first phase, it produced three videos with the message to visitors to wait a little longer. During the second phase it sent the message the community is opening slowly. During the third phase, they are activating their digital marketing campaign.
Semchuk addressed its need for sustainable funding. Currently, the bulk of its funding comes from the Destination Marketing Fee from hotels, however with the slow down the note they are vulnerable. They are working on securing stable funding through the Travel Alberta Co-op program.
At the request of Semchuk, Council went in camera to talk more about funding ideas for the DMO.
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Council passed all three readings of its borrowing bylaw to allow the town to borrow from ScotiaBank up to $4 Million. In recent years the town has been drawing from its non-restricted reserves as bridge financing until tax funds come available. One reason for this is to demonstrate to other levels of government of the town’s expense incurred from its COVID-19 response. The town has have not used the line of credit for a number of years, instead opting to use unrestricted reserves. These funds could only be used until the beginning of September when tax revenues are available.
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Council heard a presentation from Darwin Durnie and Bob Jenkins on the COVID-19 response and financial summary. Durie shared the news that Drumheller was indeed COVID-19 free. The Chief Medical Officer of Health reanalyzed the addresses and the true location of the two cases attributed to the Drumheller area, and they have been reassigned to another geographic area. While the finances are not fully reconciled, the overall estimated expense for the COVID response is $2.433 million. Of these, about $1.228 million went to goods and services. The expense for the EOC response team totals about $500,500 Total personnel cost for COVID-19 response came to $704,700, the cost already budgeted for staff came in at $252,500, making a total additional personnel expense $452,200.
In taking away expenses that would have normally been attributed to normal operating, expenses incurred to bring facilities and systems up to standard, and accelerated expenses from future years, the expense for the Emergency response alone comes to $1.541 million, about $192 per capita. See story on Page 3.
Complete minutes from council meetings can be found at
www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.