Drayton Valley’s town council met last week to consider changes to the Recreation Fee Assistance Program, approve a grant application and amend the community grant award process.
During budget deliberations at the end of November, council discussed the possibility of amending the Recreation Fee Assistance Program to address oversubscription challenges and potential changes to the province’s AISH program.
Currently, the town provides a lump sum of funds towards the program and once that sum is gone, the program ends for the year. Town officials say this has prompted people to rush to utilize the program while it’s available without considering their usage. This cycle results in the program consistently being oversubscribed, but with many users not actually using the services.
Town council has directed administration to gather more information about two possible alternatives: a punch-pass and a reduced rate membership for those below a certain income threshold.
By offering a reduced rate membership instead, town officials hope to allow more residents to access the program, while also creating a new revenue stream for the municipality.
Council also approved a grant application to the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA). The funding would support vegetation and fuel management efforts within the town’s limits, such as thinning, pruning, mulching and removing dead trees.
The Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Service has identified priority areas for the project that pose a threat to main corridors or critical infrastructure, like the Drayton Valley Hospital and Care Centre.
The areas identified for the first round of vegetation management, if the grant is approved. (Captured from the Drayton Valley town council agenda, Dec. 3, 2025)
Recently, the service received confirmation that this application was selected to move on to the next step of the process, which necessitated a council resolution indicating its support.
Finally, council discussed the Community Events Grants policy.
Moving forward, administration has been authorized to approve Community Events Grant applications up to $1,000 on behalf of council, provided all policy requirements are met. Applications greater than $1,000 will continue to come to council for approval, and those approved by administration will be included in departmental quarterly reports.
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