Council Overview
Information from Drumheller Town Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Monday, May 8, 2023

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg opened the meeting and made some opening remarks, acknowledging some temporary delays to starting the meeting due to power surges.
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Community and Development Social Planning (CDSP) manager April Harrison presented council with the Community Social Needs Assessment which was recently completed.
The last Community Social Needs Assessment was conducted in 2017 and is typically conducted every five years in alignment with Stats Can census data to research and raise awareness of social needs, to help inform a five year plan for CDSP to ensure funding and resources are targeted appropriately.
In 2017, the assessment prioritized housing, transportation, youth activities, affordable and accessible counselling, and poverty and affordability. Since the 2017 assessment, the department has hired a youth coordinator, introduced a subsidized counselling program, improved and extended the recreational fee assistance program, and implemented various subsidies; the Economic Development department has also developed a Housing strategy.
The 2023 assessment was conducted through various community and agency engagements, including a public survey and various workshops, an agency survey, and data was developed into a “What We Heard” report.
Priorities identified from the 2023 assessment were belonging and social participation, affordability, health and well-being, housing, and transportation.
Ms. Harrison noted a request for direction will be coming forward to council in the near future and continuous monitoring of the priority items.
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Recreation, Arts, and Culture manager Darren Goldthorpe and special events coordinator Alicia Smith presented council with a briefing note on events and activities for the 2023 season. Key priorities of the community events are to host seasonal activities and events to attract residents and visitors to the community year round, enhance opportunities for economic activity and downtown area revitalization, liaising with individuals, community groups, organization and businesses to improve their capacity to host events, support and promoting cultural awareness, and promoting an increased sense of community.
So far there have been three events held-Shamrocks and Shenanigans was held in March in partnership with the Community Business Association and had about 21 individuals; Findosaurous and Gateway to Summer were held in April with 32 participants attending Findosaurous and 175 participants and 12 vendors taking part in the Gateway to Summer event. Various events are planned throughout the remainder of the year on at least a monthly basis, including the Chainsaw Wizards tree carving event being held over the May long weekend, and Celebrate with the Titans in June to celebrate the Titan’s provincial championship win with the community.
The department continues to work closely with the Town’s communications team to enhance and improve promotion of events, along with Travel Drumheller to collaborate on promotions to continue to grow events and activities throughout the remainder of the year.
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Director of Emergency Protective Services Greg Peters announced May 7 to 13 is Emergency Preparedness Week; the theme for 2023 Emergency Preparedness Week is Build Preparedness Habits, which encourages residents to take actions to be better prepared and protect themselves during emergencies.
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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.

Drumheller town council passed its 2023 Property Taxation bylaw, which saw the mill rate on residential properties decrease slightly over the previous year, during the regular Monday, May 1 council meeting.
While the mill rate is down slightly, some residents may still see an increase on their municipal tax bill due to assessment value increases over the last year.
To determine property assessment value, Wild Rose Assessment Services Inc. looks at the market value on similar properties annually on July 1; a second assessment date takes into consideration the physical condition of the property as of December 31 of every year.
Assessment values on residential properties increased by about five per cent over the previous year, approximately $33.1 million. This was mostly due to increases in property market value.
Non-residential properties also saw assessment increases of about 2.4 per cent, or approximately $5.5 million. Similar to residential property assessments, this was mostly due to market value increases.
Due to subdivision of lots at Raptor Ridge RV Resort, the number of taxable residential assessment rolls increased by 134. Tax exempt properties also increased by a total of 21, which is mostly due to properties purchased under the Town’s flood mitigation program.
Council approved the combined residential mill rate, which is calculated as the tax payable amount per dollar of the assessed property value, of 11.86862; this is down slightly from the 2022 mill rate of 12.10984. The combined non-residential mill rate is up slightly, from 19.15279 in 2022 to 19.41480.
The combined mill rate includes requisitions from the province for the Alberta School Foundation Fund (ASFF), and Drumheller and District Seniors Foundation (DDSF). While 2023 requisitions are down for both ASFF and DDSF, the amount being levied is up slightly as the amount collected in 2022 was insufficient to cover the requisition based on assessment changes after taxes were levied in 2022.
Residential taxpayers with a property assessed at $171,000 will see a tax bill increase of approximately $82 in 2023, or $6.83 per month, while commercial taxpayers with an assessment of $511,000 will see an increase of about $666 in 2023, or about $55.50 per month.
Property tax and assessment notices will be mailed out later in May. The property tax payment deadline is August 31.
Although taxes cannot be appealed, assessments can be challenged through the Assessment Review Board.