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Last updateSat, 23 Nov 2024 12pm

Drumheller council passes 2024 Operating Budget

At the January 22, 2024 Regular Council Meeting, council approved the tax-supported 2024 Operating Budget of $22,348,727, with a municipal requisition of $9,962,718 and an operating reserve of $1,202,132. This is a 4 per cent increase in tax revenue and is down from the previous 4.8 per cent increase in 2023.
Of the $22.3 million Operating Budget, 33 per cent will go to paying the Salaries and Benefits of the Town of Drumheller’s (TOD) employees. Approximately 25 per cent of the more than $22.3 million budget goes to requisitions like the RCMP, The Drumheller and District Senior’s Foundation and Alberta Education. The Drumheller Fire Department will receive $66,500 for new supplies and tools needed. Grants and Organizations will receive $372,195, with the Drumheller Public Library receiving $223,438 of that amount, staying within the 4% increase.
“Administration has worked hard to produce a budget that is prudent and equitable during a time of increased costs brought on by inflation, all of which have an impact on the Towns operations,” states Councillor Tony Lacher in the Drumheller Media Release on Tuesday January 22, 2024. “The proposed increase has been reduced to a level that we, as Council, are satisfied with, considering the economic conditions that we continue to face.”
Compared to other Municipalities budgets, that average a 5.7 per cent increase, The Town of Drumheller has managed to create opportunities to lower costs while still maintaining balance within the 4 per cent increase.


Wheatland man among four charged in relation to murder

A 24-year-old Wheatland man is among four charged in relation to a woman’s death in March of 2023.
On Thursday, January 18 the Alberta RCMP major crimes unit, along with assistance from the Calgary Police Service and the RCMP Southern Alberta District Crime Unit arrested four people in the murder of Tara Miller.
37-year-old Miller was found deceased on March 30, 2023, at about 5 p.m. Turner Valley and Okotoks RCMP responded to a call of human remains discovered near Highway 522 at the intersection of 128 Street East Near Okotoks. Investigators were treating the investigation as a homicide.
Gurpreet Gill, 30, Calgary, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and using a firearm in an indictable offence. Release Hearing, Gill was remanded into custody and appeared in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on Jan. 22.
Greg Schuster, 30, of Calgary, has been charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and accessory after the fact. Schuster was remanded into custody and will be appearing in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on Feb. 1, 2024.
Jared Burke, 24, a resident of Wheatland County, has been charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and using a firearm in an indictable offence. After a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, Burke was remanded into custody and will be appearing in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on Jan. 25, 2024.
Shyana Popplestone, 25, of Calgary, has been charged with manslaughter. She was remanded into custody and will be appearing in Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on January 26, 2024.

Community benefits from $845K CFEP grants

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Over $845,000 of funding from the Community Facilities Enhancement Program (CFEP) was doled out to local projects last year.
The Alberta government released a report of these projects last year, and 271 across the province were funded, investing more than $42 million.
“​​Investments in key spaces in our communities not only support new activities and programming but uplift residents and build stronger communities. Our government’s investment recognizes the critical role we can play in enhancing local community spaces where many Albertans come together, from hockey rinks and playgrounds to libraries and museums, said Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women.
In the Drumheller area last year five projects were funded, with a total of $845, 318.
The Mail reported the Midlandvale Community Hall Association was successful in its application for $656,369 for its outdoors accessible rink project in its January 3 edition.
The project will be Drumheller’s first fully accessible community outdoor rink, and the second to be built in Alberta. It will be NHL size, with a fully accessible viewing area and skate shack, available to the general public year-round, as a recreational space for winter and summer sports. As well as a gathering place for tournaments and community events.
The Mail also reported on the completion of the Dalum playground in October of last year. The Community Association secured $94,793 to complete the project. The new amenity will be great for community groups that use the hall for events, and provide a safe place for kids to recreate. It has accessible elements that allow for youngers with mobility issues and access for wheelchairs. The site has a woodchip base for safety.
Other recipients include the Drumheller and District Museum Society, which operates the Badlands Historical Museum. It secured $52,199. President Louise Henrickson explained that funds will be used to complete their roof repairs. Some of the funding will also be used for flooring and updating the lighting.
She says they are grateful for the grant and it will help secure the future of the facility.
Other recipients include the Rosedale Recreation Society, which has been busy updating its community hall and the site. It received $25,813.
The Homestead Museum also received $26,244 for its facility.
The CFEP small stream supports smaller projects with up to $125,000, while the CFEP large stream supports projects with funding from $125,000 up to $1 million. CFEP requires matching funding that is equal to or exceeds the funding amount provided by the province.


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