Council Notes

Drumheller Town Council
Regular Council Meeting
Monday, June 24, 2019

***
Councillor Jay Garbutt was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of July and August.
***
Council heard from Drumheller RCMP Staff Sergeant Edmond Bourque and Corporal Gerald Sherk. SSgt. Bourque provided council with a brief history of his police service, staffing at the detachment, and priorities for policing which included property crime and crime reduction. Both officers answered questions from council regarding
Drumheller’s busy tourist months, staffing, and detachment jurisdiction.
***
Council heard an update on the 2019 Spring Cleaning Program from the Drumheller and District Solid Waste Association’s Tammy Nygaard. The overall amount collected this year was less than last year. Associated costs including labour were just over $42,000. She said crews were again slowed down this year due to improper material or sorting of demolition materials. She said the association will write a letter notifying the town there will be a charge associated with the Town of Drumheller’s spring clean up demolition material, based on weight. She said the last three years the association has had a deficit and said they need to have a “hard look” at their services. Councillor Garbutt said the issue of crews collecting demolition material is an internal issue of not following policy which should be addressed. Councillor Tom Zariski said he would rather see the waste collected and in the landfill rather than dumped elsewhere. Mayor Heather Colberg said she wishes the cleanup was in the fall rather than spring to allow crews to prioritize landscaping and beautification work in the spring.
***
Council heard a request for decision to approve sponsorship for the Alberta Approved Drumheller Farmers Market for new tents, tables, a storage shed, and discounted rate to rent space at the Badlands Community Facility. It was noted the request for decision presented was different and missing information from the previous request by the Farmers Market made at a prior council meeting. It was previously discussed that funds might not be available through the community assistance program. Councillor Tony Lacher said it would make sense at this point that costs for the vendors should be covered by the vendors, but would be interested in supporting them if it was a town-led project in the future. The motion was defeated unanimously.
***
A public hearing was held over proposed changes to redesignate part of L.S. 7, S19-T28-R19-W4 from an agricultural district to country residential, a request made by the landowner. A representative from Palliser said the change would not cause any issues and the property is a good candidate for redesignation and recommended the change.
***
Council heard a request for decision to provide relief of municipal property tax on destructed building improvements due to unforeseen damages such as fire or flood where taxes would not be charged on improvements, only on the property, at the discretion of council and to a maximum of $2,000. Councillor Hansen-Zacharuk asked to table the motion to hear legal input on what precedent is set, to see examples from similar communities. Council voted in favour of tabeling the request.
***
Council approved a request for decision to extend assessment services with Wild Rose Assessment Services by one year to March 31, 2020.
***
Council held a review of strategic priorities. CAO Darryl Drohomerski said a spot has been picked for a town toboggan hill near the Greentree water tower and administration hopes to have it open this coming winter. Mr. Drohomerski said work on the downtown plaza will be finished this Friday with the first musical act scheduled for this Saturday. Director of Protective Services Greg Peters said an emergency scenario practice session will be held in October. He also said two staff have been hired for the parking pilot project at the Hoodoo site and a fee of $2.00 to park there was decided.
***

Council Notes
Drumheller Town Council
Committee of the Whole Meeting
Monday, June 17, 2019

Mayor Heather Colberg announced the Community Futures AGM on June 27 at 4 p.m. They are looking for members at large.
There will be an RCMP presentation at the Badlands Community Facility on June 20 from 7-8:30 p.m.
***
Communications Officer Julia Fielding presented a draft communications plan. It is based on four goals; Keeping residents informed about programs and services, increase the capacity of the Town to communicate with citizens in meaningful ways, boost participation in local government and develop relationships that bridge differences and foster dialogue. Councillor Fred Makowecki notes the plan ought to be cognizant of people who are not connected electronically.
***
Ms. Fielding also presented a Request for Direction in regards to developing a town app. She presented proposals from three companies. Her question to council is what would council like to see in an app. Councillor Tony Lacher expressed his preference towards using a more local company that is integrated with other technologies and is easy to use. Councillor Lisa Hansen Zacharuk noted ease of use and reliability as important components. Councillor Jay Garbutt expressed questions about the usage of personal data by the companies hosting the app.
***
Director of Corporate Services Barb Miller presented a draft of a policy regarding relief of municipal property tax on destructed improvements. This discussion came up in light of a number of local residential properties that were destroyed by fire in recent months. The purpose of this policy to provide guidance for council when exercising its discretionary power in response to a request for the cancellation of property as a result of destruction of improvements and to make sure this is applied in a fair and consistent manner. Red Deer and Edmonton have policies that apply to this situation.
***
During Round Table, Councillor Garbutt spoke on his attendance at the AUMA Summer Caucus on June 12 in Ponoka. One program that interested him was funding available through the AUMA Municipal Climate Change Action Centre for solar installations on municipal buildings. He has concerns over Bill 7, which allows municipalities to discount property taxes to incentivize businesses. This was discussed by Minister of Municipal Affairs at the caucus. Another topic of discussion was Intermunicipal Frameworks. He noted the deadline is approaching to have these agreements with neighbouring municipalities to best deliver services, in place.
Councillor Zacharuk noted the improvements to the medians as well as businesses along the tourism corridor.
Infrastructure Service Director Dave Brett updated council on the fountain at the Rotary Park. The fountain was in operation last weekend, however, more leaks have been discovered. The plan is to operate the fountain beginning on Thursday for the weekend, and then shut down for remaining days of the week to mitigate water loss. The Plaza in downtown Drumheller is scheduled to open July 1.
***