Councillor Tom Zariski was sworn in as Deputy Mayor for the months of January and February.
Council cancelled its January 13 Committee of the Whole Meeting.
The annual Christmas Tree Burning is set for Sunday, January 12 from 4 -6 p.m. Trees can be dropped off at the edge of the carpark at Newcastle Beach.
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Council approved a motion to repeal Bylaws 17.17 and 22.18 and then moved all three readings to adopt the Non-residential Development Incentive Bylaw 19.19 and Schedule A as denoted and the Commercial Development Incentive Policy C-09-19 and Schedule B as denoted as the New Business Vacant Building Incentive Policy C-10-19. These bylaws and policies are designed to allow Drumheller to compete with other communities through property tax abatements.
Economic Development Officer Sean Wallace presented the Storefront Enhancement Policy. While the program has been in place for a few years, it was never formally adopted as a policy. Council moved to adopt the policy. This policy makes available grant funding to local business owners to enhance their storefronts.
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Wallace brought forward a request for decision to strike a Downtown Area Revitalization Advisory Committee. This would consist of one member each from the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Business Association, the Drumheller Rotary Club and the Millenial committee, and seven citizen representatives. Its role will be to provide input, advice and act as a champion for the project. Council approved the request.
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Council approved a motion to remove Tracy Breese as the Council appointed Development Officer effective January 6 and appointed CAO Darryl Drohomerski as Development Officer until such time that the Development Officer position is filled. Ms. Breese ceased her employment with the town of Drumheller in December 2019.
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Corporate Services Director Barbara Miller brought forward a request from a utility user for a refund to be applied against significant utility charges incurred during July and August as a result of a leaking a service line. Miller recommended that council deny the request as it would negatively affect the operating results of the Utility Department where costs are incurred to treat and distribute potable water that was recorded and billed. It may also be seen as preferential treatment to those who have been denied relief in the past. A review of the account showed that the May and June invoices both indicated that a continuous leak had been detected. Council denied the request by a vote of 4-3.
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Council discussed spring cleaning. They considered moving to a fall clean-up or a later spring clean-up date. Director of Infrastructure Services, Dave Brett, explained that starting the clean-up any earlier runs the risk of running into snow cleaning, and later in the spring, the work schedule gets busier. He said a fall clean-up would be beneficial for operation workflow. Councillor Fred Makowecki also noted that because Drumheller is a flood community, a later clean-up minimizes the risk of the clean-up occurring during a flood. CAO Darryl Drohomerski proposed that this year the to run a pilot project to have the clean up at the end of September, and also offer residents four vouchers to allow them to use the landfill at no charge.

Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town
Council Regular Council Meeting
Monday, December 9, 2019

Deputy Mayor Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk thanked volunteers for their support during the Red Bag Food Drive and the Toy Drive. While the toy drive is complete, she notes the Salvation Army would still be willing to take donations. She also noted the Annual Senior’s Dinner at DVSS on Thursday, December 12.
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Council’s package included the 2020 Council Meeting Schedule and a Notice of a Special Meeting on December 16 for the purposes of passing second and third reading of the Utility Rates Bylaw.
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Amanda Panisiak of the Big Country Primary Care Network presented on the Community Dementia Program. The core components of the day program are socializing, cognitive stimulation, and physical activity. They have provided families with information on how to carry on these activities at home. They had eight participants, giving caregivers 80 hours of respite each week. The program had a 100 per cent satisfaction rate and 100 per cent were interested in returning to the program. Caregivers were able to attend a support group and connect with other caregivers. She requested a formal letter of support from the town to present to Alberta Health Services to continue the program.
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Director of Protective Services Greg Peters presented a Request for Decision for the 911 Fire Dispatch Services Agreement renewal with the City of Red Deer. There has been an agreement since 2002 and a new five-year contract proposal has been presented by Red Deer. The cost for 2020 is $20,275, escalating by approximately 3 per cent per year to $22,828.52 in 2024. Council authorized the CAO to enter into an agreement with the City of Red Deer for Fire Dispatch Services.
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Robert Jenkins of the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Program spoke on a Request for Decision to award a 5-7 year contract for the provision of land services to assist the Drumheller Flood Mitigation and Climate Adaptation System program. This would be to assist in the negotiation of various interests in land, including the acquisition of some properties as well as indigenous consultation. Council approved a motion to award a Land Services Contract to Scott Land and Lease Ltd for five years, with the provision of a two-year extension, and that Council authorize an initial appropriation of $1.2 million for the contracted land services and a further $150,000 for advertisements and public engagement for the program. Councillor Jay Garbutt noted his wish to see a global budget for the project to answer questions on how much of the $55 million project will be spent on consultants.
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Council Repealed Bylaw 19-16, known as the Prepayments of Taxes Bylaw. This bylaw provided a discount applied to the early payment of taxes. Administration has found that over the years the program was not well used and eliminating the program will save the town about $5,000.
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Town passed first reading of Bylaw 18.19 to establish the 2020 Utility Rates. It calls for a 5 per cent increase in water rates, a 2 percent increase in wastewater rates and a 25 cent increase in the recycling fee. These increases follow the council’s established Utility Rate Model.
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Director of Corporate Services Barb Miller presented a draft of the 2020 Utility Budget for information. This shows a global budget of $1,170,610 for water and $996,260 for wastewater.
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Miller also presented a draft of the 2020 Service Fee Schedule. Some notable proposed changes include a 2 per cent increase for tax certificates, a 10 per cent increase in lots for hangers at the airport, a one per cent increase on pool rentals, an approximate one per cent increase on ice rentals, and ball diamond increases. Badland Community Facility admissions and memberships so far have remained unchanged, however, facility room rentals are slated to be increased by 1 per cent.