News | DrumhellerMail - Page #296
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Last updateSat, 21 Sep 2024 12pm

Council passes $16M operating budget

Copy of Copy of Drumheller council building

Drumheller town council passed its 2023 Operating Budget of $16,126,666-an increase of over $500,000 above the approved 2022 budget-during the regular Monday, December 19 council meeting.
The budget was initially brought forward at the December 5 council meeting, and again at the December 12 Committee of the Whole meeting to allow for additional discussion and feedback prior to adoption.
At its first presentation, the budget suggested an increase of some 6.2 per cent to meet municipal requirements in 2023. This was due to increased budgetary pressures, including a substantial increase to the municipal RCMP contract estimated at some 3.8 per cent, or more than $350,000, and the establishment of five new positions within various Town departments.
This increase was reduced to a proposed 4.8 per cent increase by the Committee of the Whole meeting by Director of Corporate and Community Services Mauricio Reyes. The tax supported portion of the budget is an estimated $9,587,975.
Councillor Tony Lacher thanked Mr. Reyes for his work to reduce this increase, and Councillor Tom Zariski reminded the public a one per cent increase in municipal taxes represents approximately an additional $90,000 in revenue for the Town.
Solid waste services will be moved from the tax supported budget to utilities beginning in 2023, and this represents a reduction in expenses of approximately 4.2 per cent, or some $387,710.
This change was approved by council as part of the 2023 Water and Wastewater Utility Rate bylaw, which was also passed during the December 19 council meeting, and will come into effect as of March 1, 2023.
Mr. Reyes explained during earlier budget presentations he had reviewed proposed and approved increases of other comparable municipalities and found the proposed increase for Drumheller was in line with others.
The average increase across all comparable municipalities was 5.59 per cent, with increases ranging from as low as 3.5 per cent for residents of the Town of Morinville, and as high as 10.26 per cent in the Town of Banff.


Firefighters, RCMP investigate fatal house fire

IMG 6986

Fire investigators, RCMP and the medical examiners office are investigating a fatal structure fire at Greenwood Villa Mobile Home Park.
The Drumheller Fire Department and RCMP received a report of a house fire  shorttly after 1 A.M. Saturday, December 17.
Upon arrival, officers observed that the residence was burnt down and likely had been on fire for some time. The fire destroyed the home but was contained to a single property.
RCMP with the assistance of fire investigators located human remains in the home. The male’s death is not deemed suspicious at this time, and the cause of the fire continues to be investigated.
Drumheller RCMP extends their condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased. No further information will be released.

Property crimes up 27 per cent in Drumheller

SSgt Harms

Property crimes within the Drumheller RCMP municipal and rural detachment areas have increased by 27 per cent within the Town of Drumheller, and 88 per cent in the surrounding rural areas over the last quarter from July to September.
Drumheller RCMP Detachment Commander Staff Sergeant Rob Harms presented Town council with the quarterly policing report at the regular Monday, December 5 council meeting and noted increased property crimes is not an issue solely isolated to Drumheller.
“I often compare our local stats to Southern Alberta stats for reference,” S/Sgt Harms tells the Mail.
He explains, when looking at these statistics, he looks at municipalities with populations over 5,000 which are under RCMP jurisdiction, and does not include rural policing areas or municipalities with their own policing service such as Calgary, Medicine Hat, or Lethbridge.
S/Sgt Harms explains crime, overall, is up approximately 12 per cent compared to 2021; the highest increase was to property crimes, which were up 20 per cent.
“Of the property crime increase, break and enters are up 16 per cent, theft of vehicles is up 24 per cent, and theft under $5,000 is up 33 per cent compared to this time last year,” S/Sgt Harms says of the Southern Alberta statistics.
Within the municipal Drumheller detachment area, break and enters were actually down 14 per cent, while theft of vehicles was up 33 per cent, and theft under $5,000 was up 152 per cent; in the rural detachment area, break and enters are up 100 per cent, theft of motor vehicles was up 600 per cent, and theft under $5,000 was up 275 per cent.
S/Sgt Harms noted during the Drumheller council meeting there is also a significant increase in the number of federal offenses due to the work put in by the detachment’s General Investigative Section (GIS) unit, which has been working towards one of the outlined community priorities to reduce substance abuse.
He explained during the meeting working to reduce substance abuse is a “major component of crime reduction” as substance and drug abuse often has some correlation to other crimes dealt with by RCMP.
Over the last few months, the GIS unit has successfully executed several warrants which has resulted in several individuals being charged with federal offenses.
Between July and September, there were a total of 27 federal offenses compared to 11 in the same quarter in 2021, an increase of 145 per cent.


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