Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Council Meeting
Monday, January 23, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting and reminded listeners of the RCMP Town Hall at the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) on Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m.
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Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski presented council with a request to appoint Margaret Neilsen to the Marigold Library Board for a two year term ending February 1, 2025.
Ms. Neilsen is currently a Town-appointed Marigold representative on the library board and her current term has come to an end.
Council unanimously approved Ms. Nielsen’s re-appointment.
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Development Officer Antonia Knight presented council with amendments to the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB). These amendments were due to changes, particularly in regards to flood mitigation, which were not previously reflected in the documents.
Feedback was collected during the multi-department open house in November, and a public hearing on December 5. There were no concerns raised during the public hearing regarding the proposed changes to the MDP; however, some comments were received regarding some of the proposed amendments to the LUB including wording around murals, changes to portable sign restrictions, and Tourist Dwellings.
Council unanimously gave second reading to both the MDP and LUB.
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Director of Corporate and Community Services Mauricio Reyes brought forward a housekeeping item to complete supplementary assessments on properties added after December 31. This will allow the Town to collect a portion of property taxes for these properties for the current year.
He explained council will consider the 2023 municipal tax rate in April and supplementary taxes have historically ranged between $3,300 to $10,400; it is estimated the supplementary taxes for 2023 to amount between $5,000 and $6,000.
Council gave unanimous consent to hold all three readings and unanimously passed Bylaw 02.23 Supplementary Assessment as amended.
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Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office (DRFMO) technical advisor Mark Steffler brought forward a request for decision to amend the DRFMO Land Acquisition Policy.
Council approved the policy in February 2022 and, since then, several amendments and revisions have been identified to clarify the policy’s intent. Among the amendments include a new clause at the request of the province stating the provincial and federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund grant agreements supersede the requirements of the Town’s Land Acquisition Policy in the event of any discrepancy, as well as add a clause for partial purchase of lands.
Council adopted the amended DRFMO Land Acquisition Policy as presented.
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Director of Infrastructure Services Dave Brett introduced a briefing note regarding intentions and next steps for the Beautification, Parks, and Landscaping projects planned for 2023.
The Parks team has expanded to include an Equipment Operator and a Gardener/Arborist as permanent full-time staff; the Equipment Operator position has currently been filled and the Gardener/Arborist position is in the process of being finalized. Some work will be contracted to allow staff to undergo certification for weedicide application.
Prioritization will have all planting beds and garden spaces ready for May long weekend, and ongoing work will be prioritized at Rotary Park, Drumheller Memorial Arena and Curling Rink, BCF, Town Hall, and north and south entrances to the Town. Staff will also reduce the number of plants in planting beds throughout the Town for ease of maintenance, and remove unhealthy or dead plants.
Mr. Brett noted tree maintenance-pruning and removal-has been increased and work will continue to remove dead or diseased trees, with the focus on safety.

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, January 16, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting.
Councillor Tom Zariski wished listeners a happy Chinese New Year.
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Representatives from the Town’s auditors, BDO Canada, Mitchell Kennedy and Alan Litster presented the committee with an audit planning report. BDO will conduct an audit on the Town’s financial statements ending December 31, 2022. Planning and interim audit work began in November 2022 and it is estimated final audit reports will be presented to council in March, with final presentation of the audited financial statements to be brought to council in April.
Auditors will work with management and provide timely and constructive management letters, including deficiencies in internal controls identified during the audit.
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Economic Development manager Reg Johnston and ISL Engineering community planner Courtney Lawrence presented council with an update on the Drumheller Housing Strategy.
ISL has been working with administration over the past few months on the Housing Strategy to help identify key needs within the community. This has been done through different community engagements, including online community surveys, community drop-in sessions and two community open houses in November.
It is anticipated the population of Drumheller will continue to grow to somewhere between 8,846 and 9,032 residents by 2031 and there will be a need for some 367 to 426 additional homes by this time. The greatest need will be for three, four, and more bedroom units, with the greatest population growth expected in the 65 and older demographic.
A majority of home sales within the community since 2013 have been for single detached homes, and this stock type accounts for over 90 per cent of sales per year.
Ms. Lawrence acknowledged there is close to a zero per cent average vacancy rate based on online posts and stakeholder feedback.
Along with looking at housing data, the strategy also looked at the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB). Ms. Lawrence noted there are specific policies in the MDP which are supportive of housing diversity through secondary residences and flex units. She added the LUB also offers flexible opportunities for development and supports diversity and affordability; it is estimated there is a current need for 525 affordable homes, with an additional need for 184 to 214 homes by 2031.
One challenge is short term vacation rentals; as of October 2022, there were some 98 short term rentals in the community. A priority is to regulate these rentals, which are potentially taking away options for long term rentals and decreasing affordability of the rental market. Mr. Johnston noted administration is already in discussions with some of these owners and is in the process of developing some regulations surrounding these rental types.
Low rental vacancy rate has also impacted employee housing, especially for seasonal employees.
Four goals and actions were developed based on this information-encouraging a diverse mix of housing types; increasing supply and maintaining existing rental housing; facilitating housing with support services; and strengthening partnerships and community capacity.

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