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council update, 19 February 2010

Posted Fri, 02/19/2010 - 19:33
in

Hello everyone:

Hope you're enjoying these sunny days!

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR INPUT

Parks Canada's special events advisory group (SEPAC) is meeting in the basement theatre of the Banff Information Centre on February 25 from 10 - 11:30 a.m.  The three events under consideration are the Macleod and Dixon Ride for Kids, the Tour for Kids, and the Banff-Jasper Relay.  The meeting is open to the public.  If you would like to attend, Parks asks that you RSVP by Wednesday to banff.events@pc.gc.ca .   If you can't attend, but want to submit comments in advance, you can send them to the same email before 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

SHAMELESS PROMOTION

Looking for a Girls' Nite Out opportunity?  The Soroptimists are doing their annual fundraising evening on March 2 at the BPL.  These people do great work in our community -- if you'd like to support them by attending their event, contact Diane Gibson at dmgibson@telus.net

MONDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the whole meeting package at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/banff-town-council/council-meetings/dates-agendas/council-meeting-2010-02-22.htm

It's a light meeting.  Highlights include:

Finance committee reconsideration

Councillor Stavros Karlos is asking Council to reconsider the motion I made in early 2008 to set up a council finance committee.  You can see the entire report on page 14 of the package.  I am hoping that council will agree to this, whether as a small committee of council and staff, or as a committee including all of council.  I think it would give us an opportunity to concentrate on a regular, year-round basis, on financial issues and processes.  There is a lot of good work being done by administration, but there are always improvements that can be made, and a committee structure would give us a place to ask those questions and suggest those ideas.

Appointment of the Assessment Review Board and setting the Bylaw for this year

This is a regular annual process to allow for the appeal of property assessments.  You can see the background information and the bylaw itself, starting on page 23 of the package.

UPCOMING ABSENCE

I am leaving on vacation on Tuesday and -- if all goes well -- may be away for a few weeks.  I apologize for missing the next couple of council update emails, but will get back on track in mid-April.

THE FINE PRINT

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

Leslie’s council update — 6 February 2010

Posted Sat, 02/06/2010 - 19:07
in

Hello everyone:

What a beautiful, sunny day!  When you come back from skiing, remember to stop by the library -- they're celebrating their 60th anniversary this weekend, and there are snacks, fun activities and prizes.

A REMINDER ABOUT ACTION REQUESTS

I was chatting with someone the other day who wanted the Town to fix something, and I discovered he didn't know about the Action Request feature on the Town's website.  So, although I've mentioned it before, I thought I'd take a moment to remind you about this great feature.  On any page of the Town's website (www.banff.ca), you will see the words Action Request in black lettering on a white strip at the very top of the page.  If your neighbourhood garbage can is full, your neighbour isn't clearing his/her sidewalk, or you want to find out who to talk to about your assessment, or you have any other request for service or information, just click on that link and fill out the form.  You don't have to worry about which town department to send it to -- the person who receives your Action Request will make sure that it goes to the right person.  And you'll get feedback about what action has been taken.

MONDAY COUNCIL MEETING

As usual, council will meet at 2 pm on Monday, and you're all welcome to come to any part of the meeting that may be of interest to you.  You can see the entire package at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-100208.pdf

It's a brief agenda.  The two highlights are:

Operating and Capital Budget

Council is being asked to give final approval to the 2010 budgets.  You can see the whole report starting on page 16 of the package.

On the operating budget, staff has been working to bring the proposed tax increase down.  Largely because of the staffing freeze that council proposed and passed during the budget process, they feel comfortable with lowering the overall budget and suggesting a tax increase of 2.55% rather than 3.1%.  I think this is a good effort at responding to the community's input.

The capital budget is being brought back just as it was when council last saw it.  It includes starting the wayfinding project in 2010 -- I have asked and been assured that we will start with the most essential directional signs, to help our visitors find our parking, washrooms and other services.

FCSS Strategic Plan

Starting on page 32 of the package, you can read about the activities of Family and Community Support Services.  I'm always amazed by the wide range of programs and services offered by this small budget area for seniors, young adults, young families, and so on.  It's a short, very readable report, and I encourage you to take a look at it to see what's being offered in Town.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post represents only my personal point of view, and does not purport to reflect the opinion of the Town of Banff or of Town Council.

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