Drumheller Town Council Meetings | DrumhellerMail - Page #15
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Council Notes from Committee of the Regular Meeting Monday, January 23, 2023

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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 Notes from Committee of the Whole Meeting Monday, January 16, 2023

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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.

Council Notes from the Regular Council Meeting Monday, January 9, 2023

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Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Council Meeting
Monday, January 9, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the first regular council meeting of 2023.
She thanked those residents who attended Coffee with Council earlier in the day and reminded listeners these events are held every second Monday of the month and give residents the opportunity to speak with members of council.
Councillor Patrick Kolafa was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of January and February.
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Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski presented council with a request to appoint community member Jason Jede to the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) for a three-year term expiring January 31, 2026.
Council unanimously passed the motion.
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Director of Protective Services Greg Peters presented council with a request for council to give second reading to the new Traffic Bylaw. The existing Traffic Bylaw is outdated and is in need of revision as the current version came into effect some 20 years ago.
There have been two separate public consultations held regarding the proposed new bylaw.
Council moved second reading and held discussions and offered suggestions regarding some of the proposed changes. Administration was directed to bring back the proposed Traffic Bylaw to a future council meeting for third reading consideration.
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Director of Corporate and Financial Services Mauricio Reyes presented council with a request to consider proposed changes to the Line of Credit Borrowing Bylaw.
The Town currently has a short-term borrowing bylaw which authorizes administration to borrow up to $4 million for short-term financing; currently, the Town has a $2 million line of credit. It is recommended to increase the short-term borrowing limit from $4 million to $10 due to a significant increase in capital expenditures in the previous calendar year.
Council gave unanimous consent and passed all three readings of the Line of Credit Borrowing Bylaw.
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Recreation, Arts and Culture manager Darren Goldthorpe presented council with a request to support the Badlands Amphitheatre with its annual operations fundraising campaign through its Community Assistance Grant Program. The total grant funding available is $15,000 in cash, and $20,000 for in-kind work.
Representatives of the Badlands Amphitheatre gave a presentation to council at the December 12 council meeting. The requested amount from Badlands Amphitheatre totals $25,000, above the available grant funding currently available in the 2023 budget year.
It was recommended to have representatives return to give an additional presentation to council at the January 16 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Council made a motion to deny the request and further direct the applicant to reapply to the program for specific items not exceeding $5,000.
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Council adjourned to a closed session.

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


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