Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Mayor Heather Colberg proclaimed October Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Drumheller and proclaimed October End Poverty Month.
Council shared a video from Councillor Hansen-Zacharuk from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre where she has begun treatment for Stage 4 Breast Cancer.
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Council adopted the minutes from the September 28 Regular Council Meeting.
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Council was presented with the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Program 3rd quarter financial update from Robert Jenkins. This is a six-year program and expenditures are controlled by availability, administrative capacity, and sequential consideration. They are planning to present their 2021-2024 budget in late November. The bulk of the funds are from the Federal Government and they will be meeting with an oversight committee before the end of October. The funds also come from the provincial government for land acquisition, as well as funds from the Community Resiliency Program and the Town of Drumheller. The entire presentation is available on the Town of Drumheller YouTube Channel.
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Chief Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Officer Darwin Durnie also presented a project update. He said the province completed its inspection of the existing dikes and they passed. They continue to work on regulatory and approvals. The Climate Change Resiliency Assessment Report and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Assessment are underway. Under conveyance capacity, they are working on the Swift Water Boat Rescue Launch. Over 5,000 trees have been inventoried and the brushing and inspection of the existing diking have been completed.
Under structural measures, they are continuing to work on Landowner Access Agreements and borehole drilling to examine soil conditions.
Communication and community engagement work is ongoing, including reaching out through traditional media and social media, and neighbourhood information sessions have begun.
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Council set the assessed value as the reserve bid price for properties for the January 22, 2021 tax recovery auction. Furthermore, the successful bidder must pay by cash or cash equivalent. There are currently six properties on the list. If nobody bids on them, the town has the opportunity to take over the property at the assessed price.
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CAO Darryl Drohomerski reported on an employee incentive program. This is a unique program to offer employees incentives for job performance. They expect a full report in January. He also presented on the Red Tape Reduction program. This is an ongoing program to reduce barriers to business.
April Harrison, manager of the Community Development and Social Planning Department presented on short initiatives for poverty reduction. They have been contributing to a study on food security. The department has applied for 20 grants to respond to COVID-19, and they have been approved for 11. This includes funding for housing or for those at risk of homelessness and a grant from the Rotary Club of Drumheller for the family violence unit being developed. They have received a grant to provide increased hampers from the Salvation Army as well as grocery cards, and a subsidized hot food program for seniors. There is also funding for subsidized transportation for medical appointments, prescription and grocery pick up, subsidized home service for seniors and a tech connect program for seniors and low-income residents to provide technology. They also received funding to support campers during the Sun’s Out Fun’s Out day camps operated over the summer. A total of almost $252,000 will be received for mental health and addiction programs through two different grants. The town is actively involved in the Living Wage Network. Harrison said shortly they will have a picture of what a living wage is in Drumheller which will support its poverty reduction work.
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Council came out of a closed session and tabled a motion to enter into a 10-year lease agreement with the Canadian Badlands Passion Society to lease the land referred to in property roll 20002002 (the former ski hill) at current market rates with one renewable 10-year period.