Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Mayor Heather Colberg proclaimed October Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Drumheller and proclaimed October End Poverty Month.
Council shared a video from Councillor Hansen-Zacharuk from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre where she has begun treatment for Stage 4 Breast Cancer.
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Council adopted the minutes from the September 28 Regular Council Meeting.
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Council was presented with the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Program 3rd quarter financial update from Robert Jenkins. This is a six-year program and expenditures are controlled by availability, administrative capacity, and sequential consideration. They are planning to present their 2021-2024 budget in late November. The bulk of the funds are from the Federal Government and they will be meeting with an oversight committee before the end of October. The funds also come from the provincial government for land acquisition, as well as funds from the Community Resiliency Program and the Town of Drumheller. The entire presentation is available on the Town of Drumheller YouTube Channel.
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Chief Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Officer Darwin Durnie also presented a project update. He said the province completed its inspection of the existing dikes and they passed. They continue to work on regulatory and approvals. The Climate Change Resiliency Assessment Report and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Assessment are underway. Under conveyance capacity, they are working on the Swift Water Boat Rescue Launch. Over 5,000 trees have been inventoried and the brushing and inspection of the existing diking have been completed.
Under structural measures, they are continuing to work on Landowner Access Agreements and borehole drilling to examine soil conditions.
Communication and community engagement work is ongoing, including reaching out through traditional media and social media, and neighbourhood information sessions have begun.
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Council set the assessed value as the reserve bid price for properties for the January 22, 2021 tax recovery auction. Furthermore, the successful bidder must pay by cash or cash equivalent. There are currently six properties on the list. If nobody bids on them, the town has the opportunity to take over the property at the assessed price.
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CAO Darryl Drohomerski reported on an employee incentive program. This is a unique program to offer employees incentives for job performance. They expect a full report in January. He also presented on the Red Tape Reduction program. This is an ongoing program to reduce barriers to business.
April Harrison, manager of the Community Development and Social Planning Department presented on short initiatives for poverty reduction. They have been contributing to a study on food security. The department has applied for 20 grants to respond to COVID-19, and they have been approved for 11. This includes funding for housing or for those at risk of homelessness and a grant from the Rotary Club of Drumheller for the family violence unit being developed. They have received a grant to provide increased hampers from the Salvation Army as well as grocery cards, and a subsidized hot food program for seniors. There is also funding for subsidized transportation for medical appointments, prescription and grocery pick up, subsidized home service for seniors and a tech connect program for seniors and low-income residents to provide technology. They also received funding to support campers during the Sun’s Out Fun’s Out day camps operated over the summer. A total of almost $252,000 will be received for mental health and addiction programs through two different grants. The town is actively involved in the Living Wage Network. Harrison said shortly they will have a picture of what a living wage is in Drumheller which will support its poverty reduction work.
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Council came out of a closed session and tabled a motion to enter into a 10-year lease agreement with the Canadian Badlands Passion Society to lease the land referred to in property roll 20002002 (the former ski hill) at current market rates with one renewable 10-year period.

Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council
Regular Meeting Monday, September 28, 2020

Deputy Mayor Jay Garbutt proclaimed September 30 Orange Shirt Day, Councillor Tony Lacher Proclaimed October 2 as Wrongful Conviction Day, and October 6 was proclaimed World Cerebral Palsy Day by Councillor Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk.
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The October 5 Committee Of The Whole meeting has been cancelled as council will be holding a strategic planning session.
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Council adopted the minutes from the September 14 Regular Council Meeting.
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Chief Resiliency and Flood Mitigation officer Darwin Durnie updated council on flood mitigation. Crews continue to prepare provincial diking for inspection. Some outbuildings, sheds, and vehicles have been discovered along the infrastructure and crews are working to remove them. Work is being done on regulatory approvals and indigenous consultation. There have been nine properties purchased and one owner is exploring expropriation. They are working with a property group for a deal on a parcel and two others have been withdrawn. They continue to engage property owners for access agreements to carry out inspection. They continue to engage the community through social media, online presence, newspaper, and planning more community engagement.
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Director of Protective Services Greg Peters presented on the Hoodoo paid parking pilot. This year they had a little bit later start, but operated for about as many days as the previous year. There were about 4,000 fewer vehicles compared to last year and that was reflected in revenue. They anticipate they will clear approximately $19,000 this season, noting that about $11,000 came from the Canada Summer Jobs 2020 program. The Request for Decision was to approve the continuation of the Hoodoo Parking Program at a rate of $2 per personal car and $10 per coach for the summer of 2021. Councillor Garbutt made a motion to table the decision until there is a clear indication the town will receive the Canada Summer Jobs Program. His motion to table was not seconded and therefore defeated, Council passed the initial motion to approve the Hoodoo Parking Program for summer 2021.

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