Drumheller Town Council has their sights on what they would like to accomplish in the coming year.
    At their recent Strategic Business Plan Meeting, Council chose their top four priorities; developing a revised fundraising strategy for the Badlands Community Facility (BCF), establishing a community foundation, conducting an organizational service capacity review, and finalizing the design for phase 2 of the BCF.
    Should there be time, Council also highlighted beginning the 2014 budget process and conducting an efficiency review of the Valley Bus Society.
    Developing a new fundraising strategy was considered the top priority. It is hoped the details can be pounded out in a meeting between the Town of Drumheller and fundraising cabinet later this month.
    “They’ll be having another meeting and talking about next steps,” said Mayor Terry Yemen.
    Council also hopes to create a community foundation by next summer. Such a group would help communicate between the community and BCF and provide fundraising support for future Town projects.
    “It’ll be an opportunity and network where community issues and concerns can go right to the BCF. They can work with the administration of the facility to find out what works and what could be improved. There will be a fundraising component too,” said Yemen.
    It is also hoped the Town will be able to review itself to identify areas and departments that could be made more efficient.
    “We’ll look at the departments in the Town. Maybe one department is heavy, so we’ll break up some of the responsibility. We might take the load of a director and made a head of a certain area instead,” said Yemen.
    The last priority is to have a design ready for the second phase of the BCF.
    “We’re going to work towards getting it done, but I think we would be remiss if we  got too far down the road before we took care of our present facility,” said Yemen. “We want to be shovel ready for phase 2. Grants will be announced and its first come first serve. You want to be ready with a design when grants come out.”
    The second phase will include a second ice surface for Drumheller and a new curling rink.
    Should the opportunity arise, Council hopes to begin work on the 2014 budget, and conduct a review of the Valley Bus Society to ascertain if there are ways to increase efficiency and expand service.
    “We’ll be going into a new budget cycle so we’ll be looking at that,” said Yemen. “The Valley Bus Society has moved up on our priorities quite a bit. It’s an efficiency review, so we’re trying to see what they could do different. We’d also like to explore the possibility of expanding it and doing some fixed routes, which could help with the sustainability of the Valley Bus.”
    The fixed routes could be utilized by all residents of Drumheller, but the emphasis will always remain with the original mandate of providing seniors and persons with limited mobility transportation.
    It is hoped the first goal, developing a revised BCF fundraising strategy, will be addressed and a report ready for Council by the end of December.

     Three times is a charm as the Town of Drumheller was finally successful in their grant for an administrative intern.
    The Town had its application for a grant under the Municipal Internship Component of the Regional Collaboration Program approved. This means in the new year the Town will be able to host an intern under the Municipal Internship Program for Administrators.
    “We did your best to put together an application they couldn’t turn down and we are very pleased it has been approved,” said Drumheller CAO Ray Romanetz. “We are going to mentor the individual, but at the same time that individual is going to work for us, and do things that might not usually get done.”
 The Municipal Internship Program was established in 2002. Its intention is to recruit and train graduates to be administrators to fill those roles in municipalities. According to the municipal affairs website in 2010, a survey completed by 262 municipal CAOs indicated that 55 per cent would most likely leave the position in the next 10 years.
    Drumheller too is taking a look at its succession plan as many in senior positions at the Town are looking towards the end of their career.
    “We have a number of staff that may be leaving, even within five years and we have ongoing discussions regarding that and the key thing is to look into the future, identify the approximate timelines and make some decisions. Logically what we would like to do is train them internally. Whether or not that works, time will tell. We have a succession plan in place, we work it, we discuss it, but a lot of that is based on a person being available that has the qualifications.
    “In a large organization it becomes a lot easier if you have a lot of professional people with specific talents. That may not be the case in Drumheller and that’s why you go out and find someone who has the skills in the short term and try to make arrangements from there.”
    He says this internship could help with their succession planning.
    “We are hoping that if we get the right candidate, through mentoring and if they have the skills and an interest in the community, hopefully we can look at them as being a part of our overall succession planning,” said Romanetz. “There are some positions that haven’t been filled and at times there are changes within an organization, so if we can use their assistance to move forward and at the same time develop them so they can fill a role down the road as part of the municipality, that is something we want to look at.”
    The Town received  $43,000 to implement the program for one year. The internship program at its pilot phase worked with five municipalities. Today there are 12 internship programs available. Starland County took advantage of the program, and the Palliser Regional Planning Commission took advantage of a similar program for planners.
    “If things work out, we have the ability to look at allowing for money within our budget to make that (extend or hire) happen as well,” he said.
    “We are appreciative of what municipal affairs is doing, that they recognize that. We have a lot of capable people working in the municipal field but whether it be five years or 10 years, a good number will be retiring and we need to have succession plans in place, and the province recognizes that.”