At the Regular Council Meeting on January 29, 2024, Town Council approved the 2024 Fee Schedule. Due to significant inflationary pressures and the intent to move to a cost-of-service model, to decrease the tax burden to property owners, the 2024 Fee Schedule sees increases in Recreation Fees, Administrative Services, Pet Licensing and Cemetery Fees. 

The Fee Schedule outlines the costs associated with various services offered by the Town of Drumheller, as well as the fees for permits and applications such as safety code permits, development permits and business license fees.  

In preparation for the Fee Schedule, Administration conducted a competitive analysis to determine how the recreation fees compared to similar-sized facilities in other communities. It was discovered that the fees in Drumheller recreation facilities were significantly lower than those in the majority of other facilities. As a result, Council approved a 5% increase in all fees associated with residents and a 15% in all pre-existing non-resident fees noted in the service fee schedule. 

Some additional changes to recreation include: 

• New charge for non-residents renting out ball diamonds; 
• The addition of a $2.00 Aquaplex admission fee for preschool children (3-5 years); 
• The introduction of Resident and Non-Resident fees for non-profit groups renting out meeting rooms at the Badlands Community Facility; 
• The introduction of an employer sponsored Corporate Membership. If an employer sponsors their employee’s membership, they will be offered significant discounts in membership fees; 
• The introduction of “Private Pool Rentals” for large groups who would like to rent the Aquaplex for private events; 
• The addition of SOCAN and Re:SOUND” fees. When the Town of Drumheller rents out facilities for events that are playing music, a fee must be collected on behalf of SOCAN and/or Re: Sound. The Town has always collected these fees in accordance with the Copyright Act.  

In addition to the changes in recreation, changes can also be noted to pet licencing, business licence fees and cemetery fees in the Town of Drumheller, including: 

• Pet licensing fees have been changed to lower the cost to residents, as well as to simplify the administrative process. With the changes, residents will be able to apply for a lifetime pet license, which will dramatically lower costs for owners over the lifetime of the pet. Residents who purchase a lifetime pet licence will no longer be required to renew their licence regularly, though for those who do not choose to purchase a lifetime pet licence, the annual licence will still be available.  
• The Town of Drumheller is in the process of moving all fees to a service fee schedule to provide a single and central location to view all rates and fees. In this is the addition of application fees for a short-term rental business licence. To learn more about short-term rentals, please see our short-term rental landing page by clicking here.  
• The reduction of mobile vendor fees. In the past, mobile vendors have been required to obtain two different permits to operate as a mobile vendor. Now, applicants will only require a single permit, which will reduce costs and streamline the process for applicants.  
• An increase in cemetery fees, particularly on weekends and holidays, in order to provide an accurate account of costs. This change accounts for the shift to a cost-for service model and will aid in the reduction of tax burden to property owners. Overall, this is resulting in an average increase of 42% in cemetery fees.  

The incorporation of these changes both promotes transparency and brings the Town of Drumheller in line with other municipalities of comparable size. The Town of Drumheller Fee Schedule can be reviewed here.