Hello everyone:

Here are some highlights of what Council is up to this week ...

IMPORTANT COMMITTEE OPPORTUNITY

The Banff Housing Corporation is looking for a public member.  You can read all about this important opportunity here:
http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/housing/banff-housing-corporation.htm
and here:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Media+PDF/Town+Page+Archive/banfinformation_Oct_3rdweek.pdf

I`m on the BHC board, and I find it challenging and a worthwhile use of my time.  I hope that you might be keen to work on this important issue in our community.  All applications are appreciated, however the BHC is presently seeking a non-BHC-homeowner member in keeping with the working group recommendations.  Closing date is October 27th.

MONDAY FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING

The Finance Committee meets Monday at 1 pm in Council Chambers.  This is an open public meeting, you are welcome to attend!  You can see the whole package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Committee+Agendas+PDF/Finance+Agendas/finance-agenda-111024.pdf

Reduction in 2012 waste utility rates

As you know, we went to a solid waste utility this past year, and we’re phasing in the utility payments over time.  As well, the Town has undertaken solid waste collection for Parks, resulting in some efficiencies in staff and equipment costs.  Looking at costs and revenues so far, administration is suggesting that we lower residential waste utility rates in 2012.  You can see the report starting on page 4 of the package.  I’m inclined to support Option 2, which would result in a 12% decrease in waste utility bills to homeowners, while still keeping enough money in the utility to pay for more frequent pickups of the items that people dump illegally beside the bins.  I don’t like to “reward” people by picking up their illegally dumped items, but a lot of people (myself included) really dislike seeing the mess around the bins, and more frequent pickups will help with this.  We’ll keep up the effort to educate people about the many ways to legally get rid of their over-size waste items.

While I’m on this topic – I’d just like to put in a plug for Bow Valley Freecycle.  http://groups.freecycle.org/BowValleyFreecycle/posts/all   This is a way to find people who might be able to use your no-longer-wanted items, or find items for FREE that you need.  I’ve used it to acquire an office chair and to give away a backyard trampoline.  It’s a great system.

Change in the Recreation Centre borrow

As you’ll remember, the Rec Centre project came in $1.6 million under budget.  Furthermore, as you’ll see in the report that starts on page 7 of the package, staff have found a way to save money on the borrowing that was done for the project.  Because the Rec Centre has met and exceeded energy saving requirements, the Town was eligible for a $400K grant and a $4 million low-interest loan from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Fund.  The report is about options for paying back some of the money we borrowed at 3.344% and replacing it with a longer-term loan at 2%.  Net saving on the cost of borrowing will be over $300,000.  This is the result of excellent work by all the staff involved.

Public membership on the Finance Committee

The report that starts on page 9 of the package is a way of opening the discussion about whether we should appoint public members to the Finance Committee, or whether there should be a separate Budget Committee with public members, or whether the present system works fine.  At present, the Finance Committee consists of all council members, and its meetings are all open to the public, with agenda packages on the town`s website.  Would YOU be keen to be a public member on the Town`s finance committee – do let me know!

MONDAY REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the overall package for the council meeting at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-111024.pdf
It starts at 2 pm in the council chambers, and you are very welcome to attend.  There are two opportunities during the meeting for people in the gallery to ask questions about items on the agenda.

Here are some highlights:

Delegate presentations

Parks Canada will be making a presentation about the Wildfire Plan, and the Biosphere Institute will be making a presentation about the work of their organization.  Alas, I can`t tell you more, because we don`t have any advance written material on those two presentations.

Council process stuff

Council will be asked to approve a new `BYOD`` (Bring Your Own Device) approach.  For the past 4 years, council members have had laptops issued to them by the town and maintained by the town.  This approach has saved unimaginable reams of paper.  The new suggestion, which will cost the Town less money, is that councillors should buy and maintain their own portable devices, receiving an allowance of $500 per year for that purpose, which will be a taxable benefit.  You can read about this starting on page 13 of the package.

Council will also be asked to approve a revised policy for making committee appointments.  One item that I want to discuss here is whether we should have a limit on how long any one person can serve on a particular committee.  I know it`s very hard to get volunteers, but I also know that having some turnover is healthy.  I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

Methods for prioritizing and costing out road projects

You`ll see an information briefing, starting on page 37 of the package, about how the Town will prioritize and cost out road work throughout the town.  There`s a detailed example showing how a Rabbit Street project would be costed.  I look forward to hearing the details of the actual prioritization process – I assume they`ll be in a verbal presentation.

COUNCIL ANNUAL ORGANIZATION MEETING

But yes, there is even MORE fun to be had in council chambers on Monday!  Council will also be having its annual organizational meeting.  This is the meeting at which we set the schedule for the coming year, and appoint council members, parks reps and public reps to various committees.  You can see the package for this meeting at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-111024-aom.pdf

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post represents just my point of view and does not purport to represent the point of view of the Town of Banff or its Council. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  As the turkey roasts to golden perfection, perhaps you have a moment to read about Tuesday’s council meeting ...

COUNCIL ON TUESDAY

First, a reminder that council moves to Tuesday this week, because of the holiday Monday.  The meeting will be at 2 pm in council chambers, and – as always – you are very welcome to attend.  There are two opportunities in each meeting for members of the public to ask questions about items on the day’s agenda.  You can see the whole agenda package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-111011.pdf

Here are a few highlights:

Report on Library Benchmarks

You can see how the Banff Public Library’s usage, collection size, and cost compares to others in the province by taking a look at the detailed report from the library, starting on page 3 of the package.  Lots of good news here:  our library is free to users, we fund our library by more per capita than the average community in Alberta, we have 2.5 times the visits per capita of the average community, we have a large library collection for our size, and our library gets excellent reviews from its users.

Skateboards, 11 pm – 7 am

The bylaw amendment is coming back to council for second and third reading.  This amendment would lift the present ban on skateboard use between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am.  As you’ll recall, I asked council to wait until this meeting for final consideration, in order to give people on the other side of the question a chance to comment.  The town has received only three requests to keep the ban in place, along with over a dozen requests to lift it.  It therefore appears to me that the concern about noise is not as widespread as I had thought.   With all that in mind, I’m feeling inclined to vote to lift the ban – although, of course, I’ll listen to any additional comments at Council on Tuesday.  I will be asking council, however, to place a mark in the council calendar for this to come back for a follow-up report a year from now, just to see what the consequences of changing the bylaw have been at that point.

By the way, an interesting side effect of this whole conversation has been reading people’s comments about what they believe cyclists are and aren’t required to do at night.  Just to help clear this up, I will mention that the Alberta Highway Traffic Safety Act requires cyclists travelling at night to have a white light at the front, a red light at the rear, and reflectors visible from the sides.  Fines are listed for those not complying.

Water and sewer rates

Council is being asked to phase in water and sewer rate increases over the next 20 years, to ensure that our capital reserves are ready for the necessary repairs and maintenance that will come up.  If we go with the 20-year option, the effect on the average residence in 2012 would be a $20 increase, assuming levels of consumption stayed the same.  I think this is a small price to pay to guarantee our clean water and clean river into the future, so I’m inclined to go with this recommendation, although council will also be considering a 40-year phase-in.  You can see the whole report starting on page 40 of the package.

Two new 1-bedroom units, but more costs than expected

The town has a staff housing reserve, which is built up from rental revenue from staff housing units.  The purpose of the reserve is to make sure that we can repair and replace units as we need to. 

At present, the town is working on a project to build two new one-bedroom units into the basement of an existing town-owned house on Cougar St.  This is being done to meet the housing requirements that were part of the Rec Centre redevelopment.  Council had approved a $125K budget, with $42K from the Rec Centre contribution and the remainder from the staff housing reserves.  Unfortunately, tenders came in higher than expected and – between that and some proposed environmental upgrades, we’re being asked to increase the budget for the project to $183,000 (the additional money will come from the staff housing reserves).

I agree in principle with providing more housing, and with environmental upgrades.  I will be asking about the design process, however, since we not only have a project going over its designed budget, but we also have a huge spread in the tenders, which leads me to wonder whether the design and specs were clear enough for builders to do good bids.

You can see the whole report starting on page 48 of the package.

Transportation planning

Starting on page 55 of the package, you’ll see a briefing report on the town’s ongoing work on transportation planning.  Perhaps the most interesting part is on pages 69-74, where the writer compares our 1998 transportation plan objectives with what is in place in 2011.  It’s actually rather encouraging to see the progress on many fronts, although – of course – new problems emerge.  The town is working on a transportation plan update, and you can see the details of how this will be done in the report.

Farmers’ Market 2012

Council is being asked to lay out the conditions under which a farmers’ market could take place in 2012.  The suggestion is that it would run weekly for 14 weeks, rather than 10 as it did this year.  When you look at the report (starting on page 81 of the package) it is pretty disappointing to see the tiny amount of user feedback that was collected, and – although the planning department did interview local businesses – business feedback is not included in the report.  So I will have some questions to ask about this, especially since council emphasized the need for such feedback when we gave permission for the pilot project. 

My own personal observations would suggest that the market was a success and that residents enjoyed it (I sure did!) and that it did not appear to create major disruption for traffic or for other businesses.  But one person’s personal observation is a pretty flimsy foundation for decision-making. I’d like to support it for next year, but would be happy to hear what you think!

THE FINE PRINT

Opinions expressed in this post are mine alone.  This post does not purport to represent the position(s) of the Town of Banff or its Council. 

Wow, what a bonus!  Having a weekend of “summer” at the end of September is really something!  I guess it makes up for those weekends of “winter” that we had in June. 

Welcome to new members to my email list!  Just a reminder to existing members – if you find these updates useful, take a moment to send an email to a few of your friends and suggest they join the list.  Growing the list really helps me to get the word out about what’s going on at council and opportunities to get involved.

LAND USE BYLAW WORKING GROUP

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered for this group!  Here’s a list of the membership (alternates are people who step in when others are away):
• Public members: Scott McElhone, Marc Ledwidge, Patrick Roi, Allan Buckingham, and Elizabeth Hogg (alternate)
• Town of Banff Councillors: Brian Standish and Stavros Karlos;
• Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association: Gord Lozeman and Frank Denouden (alternate);
• Commercial landlord representative: Graeme Nunn and Ossi Treutler Jr. (alternate);
• Food and beverage industry representative: Nigel Walker and James Sachkiw (alternate);
• Retail industry representative: Suzannah Patmois and Bec Johnson (alternate);
• Municipal Planning Commission representative: David Bayne and Jay Harris (alternate)

The meetings are open to the public.  This 11-member committee is not dealing with the whole LUB.  They will make recommendations back to council on three very specific issues, as directed by council:
• A proposal to reduce the number of permitted uses for Grocery Store and Service Station properties in Banff.
• A proposal to enact distinct regulations for formula fast food businesses in Banff.
• Providing feedback to Council on required housing and parking for commercial development in Banff.
Everyone in town will have the opportunity to comment on the recommendations when they come back to council – there will be at least one public hearing on these items.

MONDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the whole package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-110926.pdf

Construction waste diversion

Starting on page 3 of the package, you can see information about how construction waste in the Bow Valley is diverted from landfill, thanks to the work of the Bow Valley Regional Waste Management Commission. 

Skateboarding at night – have your say!

Council asked for a revised bylaw to come back for consideration.  The revisions would lift the ban on skateboards as a mode of transportation between 11 pm and 7 am.  Council is being asked to approve three readings tomorrow.  However, I have heard from several of you who would like to make presentations to council about late-night skateboarding, so I will be asking council to just give first reading at this meeting, and to wait until the next meeting to consider the bylaw further.  That will give you a chance to have your say at the October 10 meeting of council.  You can find the information about how to express your opinion to council at this link:  http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/banff-town-council/connect.htm  The most effective way to be heard is to get yourself on the meeting agenda as a “delegation” – that means you get to make a brief presentation to council before they consider the bylaw amendment.

2011 Municipal Census 

You’ll find the full report of this fascinating snapshot of our community, starting on page 28 of the package. If you’re like me, you’ll want to compare these numbers with those from the 2007 survey, which you can find at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Business+PDF/2007+Banff+Census+Report.pdf

Here are just a few of the fascinating factoids (Banff By the Numbers!)

Total population:
2007:  8721
2011:  8244

Percentage of males:
2007:  49.57%
2011:  50.5%

Number of people who identify themselves primarily as homemakers:
2007:  125
2011:  93

Percentage of total population that is 19 or younger:
2007:  14.2%
2011:  17.8%

Number of retired people:
2007:  413
2011:  402

Percentage of people who walk or bike to work in summer:
2007:  55%
2011:  48.9%

Population numbers affect our ability to access some provincial grants.  And trends in census figures for housing, age groups, and so on, help the town and others plan for future needs of the community.

Illegal dumping

I know that many of you are as distressed as I am when you see the mess that some people leave beside our community waste containers.  The Town has tried hard to make it easy for people to get rid of unwanted and over-size items.  Every Friday, there is an over-size item pickup – all you have to do is book ahead at 403-762-1240.  Here’s the link with info about the program:  http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/social-services-programs/waste-garbage/unwanted.htm

However, in spite of this effort, the illegal dumping problem continues to grow.  A report starting on page 66 of the package proposes some ideas for next steps we could take.  I’m inclined to try the intermediate solution (putting special pickup bins out once per week at problem locations) before we go to the recommended solution (an extra staff member and specially equipped truck to provide more door-to-door and roaming pickup).

The town’s website

A briefing report starting on page 71 of the package gives some interesting information about current use of the town’s website (600,000 unique visitors per year!) and some thoughts about what we should consider in updating the website.

Completion of the Recreation Centre project

Read this report, starting on page 75, to find out all the great things about this project:  the major items that were re-used, the ongoing energy and water efficiency, and the benefits to 40-mile Creek.  AND $1.6 million under budget, requiring less borrowing than was originally planned.  Many people worked very hard to make this project come out so well – huge kudos to all involved.  Pat them on the back next time you see them around town!

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post presents my point of view only.  It does not purport to represent the opinions of the Town of Banff or its Council.  I welcome your comments or questions on any of the items!

Hello everyone:

What an amazing day!  Hope you all had a chance to get out and enjoy it!

Here are a few highlights of what’s going on with council ...

NEW REGIONAL TRANSIT MANAGER STARTS WORK

First thing Monday morning, I’ll be greeting our new transit manager, Koji Miyaji, as he arrives for his first day of work.  I’m delighted that the regional transit commission will have a staff member in place who can get working on the many items coming out of the commission’s business plan. 

COUNCIL TOURS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

Also on Monday morning, I’ll be joining the other councillors in a tour of the sewage treatment plant.  I’ve done this twice before and always found it very interesting – no, I’m not kidding!  If you’ve never had a tour of the plant, look for an opportunity – maybe you could go along when one of your kids is going on a school tour.  We’re very proud of the good quality of our effluent as it goes back into the Bow River.  As residents of the headwaters, all of us here in Banff have a special responsibility to everyone downstream, and we work hard to live up to it.

MONDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING

You can find the overall package for Monday’s meeting at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+A...

Here are some of the key items that will be on the agenda.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on any of these items:

Land Use Bylaw – appointing working group members

We’ve had a very good response to the request for volunteers for this committee.  Kudos to all of you who have volunteered!  At the Monday meeting, Council will appoint the members:
• four public members (+ one alternate public member);
• two Town of Banff Councillors;
• one Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association representative (+ one alternate member);
• one commercial landlord representative (+ one alternate member);
• one food and beverage industry representative (+ one alternate member);
• one retail industry representative (+ one alternate member);
• one Municipal Planning Commission representative
You can read the whole report starting on page 7 of the package.

Sewer mains condition report

Starting on page 19 of the package, you can read about the project to assess and document the condition of the town’s wastewater mains.  You’ll probably find page 23 of the package the most interesting part – that’s where you can see a map of what’s been assessed and whether those pipes are in very good, good, fair, poor, or very poor condition.  This is an excellent, clear representation of where we’re doing OK, and where we have problems.

Although the report states that the project is “on budget”, it also states that 60% of the originally intended work has been done, for almost 100% of the money budgeted.  That’s an unusual definition of “on budget”, and I’ll be asking about the disconnect.

Bike share system

You’ll recall that BCHS students did an excellent report to council, recommending that we consider introducing a bike share system in the Town of Banff – something like the Velib system in Paris or the Bixi Bikes in Montreal.  Council asked admin to look into this further, and you can see the report starting on page 25 of the package. There’s also a map on page 34 of the package, showing the 13 locations throughout Banff where rental bikes are already available.

While bike share sounds at first like a good fit for Banff, we might get a better bang for our buck by concentrating on making sure that visitors can find the existing rental locations, and that there are lots (and lots) of bike racks for people to use.  The one area that does not seem to be well-served is Tunnel Mountain (campgrounds and hotels), so perhaps a solution that focuses on that area would be a good idea.  Needless to say, any bike share system there would involve a lot of ferrying of bikes back up the hill.

Street banner policy

Council will be asked to look at a draft policy on street banners (the rectangular banners that hang on poles in the downtown and along St Julien).  The policy covers aspects such as design, length of hanging, how much area can be covered by the name and logo of a sponsor, fees, etc.  You can see the whole report starting on page 44 of the package.

I think this is a good first attempt, but I have some suggestions to make to council.  I will be asking that the references to national park and world heritage site values be returned to the draft policy (they are presently proposed for removal).  I also will be asking to diminish the area on banners that can be covered by commercial sponsor names and logos, and to tighten up the criteria for applying for a fee waiver.  Right now, almost everyone is covered by the categories shown on the waiver application.  There is a real cost to taxpayers every time we hang these banners, and waiving the fees makes it impossible to recover that cost.

Public art

Council will be asked to approve an $11K public art project to create three pieces of art that will hang outdoors for 6 months each.  Then a smaller indoor version of the same pieces will be framed and hung in the town’s permanent collection.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m distressed to see us spending our few public art dollars on temporary work, when the permanent sculptures are so well loved by residents and visitors alike.  I wonder whether this money could have been a “lead contribution” toward a fund to keep the bear at the Whyte Museum in Banff, for example.  I’m also concerned that the proposed hanging location (on the back of Town Hall, facing the alley) will be seen by relatively few people.  I will be asking whether a different, more prominent location could be considered.

Increases to Kids Kampus fees

Starting on page 62 of the package, a report details proposed increases to the fees for Kids Kampus, the program that provides activities for children in Grades 1 – 6 on days when school is not in session.  While I understand the need for the fee increase, I will be checking to ensure that we are communicating with the parents affected, and that they will receive reasonable warning of the increases.

WWTP Operation

Council will be briefed “in camera” on some items related to the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, because some of the information that will be shared is confidential business information belonging to EPCOR, our contractor.  Council does not make any decisions or pass any motions when it is “in camera”.  Any decisions resulting from this discussion will be made in a public meeting.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, any opinions expressed in this post are mine alone.  This post does not purport to represent the point of view of the Town of Banff or its Council.