OPENING REMARKS

Mayor Colberg reminded residents about the Earth Day Challenge on April 2, 2025, and asked that residents seek opportunities to clean up any debris or litter when going for walks that may become visible due to the melting snow.

PUBLIC HEARING: PROPOSED BYLAW 07.25 – NACMINE 5TH STREET ROAD CLOSURE BYLAW

Council held a public hearing for proposed Bylaw 07.25 – Nacmine 5^th Street Road Closure Bylaw. First reading of the Bylaw was given on February 18, 2025. There were no written submissions and no presentations to Council. The public hearing opened at 5:32 PM and closed at 5:35 PM. 

2025 MUNICIPAL ELECTION – BYLAW 13.25 – ELECTION BYLAW (3rd READING)

Council gave third and final reading to Bylaw 13.25 - Election Bylaw, which establishes Council’s decision on the limited election modifications that are permissible by a municipality within the jurisdiction of the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA).

Information on the 2025 Municipal Election is available on the Town of Drumheller website.

LEHIGH ROAD CLOSURE BYLAW #33.24 (2nd READING)

Council gave second and third readings to Bylaw 33.24 - Lehigh Road Closure Bylaw. Bylaw #33.24 permanently closes all road right-of-ways within Lehigh and is one of the necessary steps being taken to restore the land to its natural state. Due to the porous sandy subsoils and risk of flooding via percolation, engineering studies demonstrated that it was infeasible to protect Lehigh from flooding via earth berms. As a result, The Town of Drumheller has received funding from the Government of Alberta to purchase property within the former community of Lehigh and convert the area into an environmental reserve.

EXTEND LEAVE OF ABSENCE – COUNCILLOR HANSEN-ZACHARUK

Council passed a resolution to extend a leave of absence for Councillor Hansen-Zacharuk for an 8-week period with pay due to medical reasons, as per Section 174(2) of the Municipal Government Act. The leave of absence ends May 5, 2025.

MANAGED IT SERVICES

Council awarded the contract for Managed IT Services to Reality Bytes Incorporated (RBI) for a five-year term, with the possibility of two one-year extensions. Based on the evaluation results, RBI scored the highest, demonstrating a strong ability to not only maintain the Town’s current IT infrastructure but also to support future IT needs, including proactive maintenance, network support, and critical security services. The proposal also aligns with the Town’s long-term IT asset lifecycle management goals. 

FINANCIAL GUARANTEE REQUEST FOR HABITAT OFFSETTING (FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT)

Council granted unanimous consent for all three readings of Bylaw 14.25 - Line of Credit Borrowing Bylaw. Bylaw 14.25 permits an increase in available borrowing, as the Town is required to secure a bond for the Fisheries and Oceans Canada department to facilitate the construction of the Nacmine and Rosedale-Scarlett berms in 2025. This financial guarantee is intended to mitigate any potential impacts to aquatic and riparian habitats in the Red Deer River.

SUPPLEMENTARY ASSESSMENT BYLAW 16.25

The general tax levy does not consider the portion of properties destructed or constructed and completed within the first six months of the given year. Council granted unanimous consent for all three readings of Bylaw 16.25 - Supplementary Assessment Bylaw, which allows for a supplemental tax levy to account for property changes and ensure fairness and equity amongst all properties.

ASSESSEMENT SERVICES CONTRACT EXTENSION

Council passed a resolution to extend the contract with Wild Rose Assessment Services for provision of assessment services for the Town for five years ending March 31, 2030. The five-year extension is to provide the newly elected Council, which will take office on October 27, 2025, the necessary time to familiarize themselves with the assessment services for the Town without requiring a transition in contract management soon after the election. Council also appointed Mr. Riley Kloss as the designated assessor for the Town of Drumheller.

2026-2027 SHOVEL-READY TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS DISCUSSION

The Director of Infrastructure presented a request from Travel Alberta for shovel-ready tourism-related projects that align with  the Ministry of Tourism and Sports 's 2026-2027 Capital Program. Council endorsed the prioritization of the Hoodoo parking lot project for submission.

>>Review the agenda.