Manager of Legislative Services Mitchell Visser and Irv Gerling, Chair of the 2024 Council Remuneration Task Force presented the task force’s final report. The task force is formed in the third year of council and is made up of volunteers from the community who present recommendations for the remuneration and honorariums for the incoming Mayor and Council following the 2025 municipal election.
The task force recommended a four per cent increase to the remuneration of Mayor and Council effective January 1, 2025 which would see the annual remuneration for each Councillor increase from $25,060.88 to $26,063.32, and the annual remuneration for the Mayor increase from $47,831.16 to $49,744.41. This would also see an increase to per diem for conferences, conventions, and government meetings, professional development, as well as board and committee meetings.
This item will be brought back during a future regular council meeting for deliberation.
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Drumheller RCMP Detachment Commander Staff Sergeant Robert Harms presented the quarterly Municipal Policing Report for the July 1 to September 30 reporting period.
Total Criminal Code offences are down 32 per cent compared for the January to September 2023 period; Persons Crime was down 17 per cent, while Property Crime was down 32 per cent.
S/Sgt Harms noted the Body Worn Camera (BWC) rollout will be starting this month, which includes training for officers and public consultation; it is anticipated officers should begin receiving BWCs in February 2025.
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Travel Drumheller Executive Director Julia Fielding and Board Chair Ryan Semchuk, and Destination Drumheller Destination Development manager Lana Phillips presented its 2024 updates and achievements. Tourism represented $70 million in sales, $16 million in wages, and was responsible for an estimated one in six jobs locally and a $939 million industry in Alberta.
One thing the organization would like to look to address is the seasonality of the tourism industry and try to find ways to attract tourism year-round.
Travel Drumheller held a visitor survey over the summer and received a total of 3,392 responses. Of the responses, 51 per cent of respondents were brought to Drumheller by the Royal Tyrrell Museum and 55 per cent were visiting on a day trip, with an average spend of $462 on a typical day.