Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Council Meeting
Monday, December 19, 2022

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting and made some announcements.
Deputy Mayor Stephanie Price thanked Public Works staff on behalf of Mayor and Council for their work, especially during the ongoing cold snap, to ensure the Town’s facilities and infrastructure continue to operate.
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Keith Hodgson, with the Drumheller Standing Committee on Health, presented council with a letter of support which is being sent to Alberta Minister of Health Jason Copping and Alberta Health Services (AHS) official administrator Dr. John Cowell to advocate for better utilization of the Drumheller Health Centre, and for the facility to be recognized as a rural healthcare hub.
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A review has been completed on the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) job performance; Mayor Colberg thanked CAO Darryl Drohomerski for the work he has done over the previous year.
Council unanimously approved increasing CAO Drohomerski’s salary based on his 2022 performance review.
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Director of Corporate and Community Services Mauricio Reyes presented council with the 2023 utility rate bylaw.
Council previously adopted the new utility rate model for 2023 to 2027, which recommends an annual increase of three per cent for water, and six per cent for wastewater, along with moving solid waste and recycling services to utility operations beginning in 2023. The increases to water and wastewater fees will come into effect as of January 1, 2023 while the changes to solid waste will come into effect as of March 1, 2023.
Council passed the 2023 Utility Rate Bylaw unanimously.
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Mr. Reyes presented council with the 2023 Operating Budget and four-year financial plan. The budget was previously brought forward at the December 5 regular council meeting, and the December 12 Committee of the Whole meeting for further discussion and consideration.
It is recommended there will be an estimated 4.8 per cent increase in tax revenues to meet municipal requirements in 2023.
Council adopted the 2023 Operating Budget (see story on Front, Page 2).
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Council was also presented with the Fees, Rates, and Charges Bylaw by Mr. Reyes. It was recommended, as per the 2023 Operating Budget, to increase some fees by an approximate 2.5 per cent. It was also suggested some fees be added to Schedule A of the bylaw; these include fees recommended by the Drumheller Municipal Airport Commission in November, which will help the facility become self-sustaining.
Council gave unanimous consent to hold all three readings and passed the 2023 Fees, Rates, and Charges Bylaw.
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Public hearings for proposed road closure bylaws for 9 Street NW (Hospital), East Coulee River Drive West, and East Coulee East were opened; there were a total of three in-person presentations-one presenter, for the East Coulee River Drive West closure, wanted some clarification on whether the proposed bylaw would impact the existing roadway, and two for East Coulee East closure who were opposed to the closure-and no written submissions.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on
www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.

Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Monday, December 12, 2022

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting and made some opening announcements.
She congratulated the senior Titans on their Provincial Tier IV championship win on Friday, November 25.
Mayor Colberg announced The Salvation Army has several volunteer kettle shifts available and are looking for help filling these spots.
She also reminded listeners of the Santa’s Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day at Yavis Restaurant.
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Badlands Amphitheatre representatives presented council with the 2022 Events and Development report.
The Passion Play returned this year with a total of nine performances after a two-year hiatus, and the Amphitheatre was able to host some new events-Vanfest and Light Fest-and the sold out Canadian Icons Concert and Great Big Weekend with Tom Cochrane and Barenaked Ladies.
Despite challenges with lower attendance numbers at the Passion Play, the Amphitheater has increased its mailing list by 25 per cent and overall social media following by 30 per cent, and have continued development of the Badlands Art Centre-an 8,000 square foot, two-story event and performance space.
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Director of Corporate and Community Services Mauricio Reyes presented council with a request for direction on the 2023 Operating Budget and four-year financial plan.
He explained the municipal tax requirement has been decreased from an estimated 6.2 per cent, which was presented at the December 5 regular council meeting, to an estimated 4.8 per cent increase in 2023. It was also recommended to increase to user fees at recreational facilities by 2.5 per cent in 2023 due to increased costs and additional personnel positions.
The proposed 2023 budget is $16,206,666, an increase of some $583,232 over the 2022 budget.
The committee provided several recommendations and feedback and Mr. Reyes was directed to bring the proposed budget back to the Monday, December 19 regular council meeting.

Complete minutes from council meetings can be found on www.drumheller.ca once they have been adopted.