Hello, everyone:

Council has three meetings tomorrow:

MEETING WITH THE BANFF VOLUNTEER CENTRE

The hard-working board and executive director of the BVC have been putting together a strategic plan, and will be discussing it with council members tomorrow.  At budget time, council made its financial support of the organization contingent on their meeting a couple of milestones, of which this is one.

REGULAR MEETING OF COUNCIL

The council meeting is at 2 p.m. in council chambers, and - as always - the public is welcome.  You can see the whole package for the meeting at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-110228.pdf

 Highlights of the agenda include:

Bow Valley SPCA

The SPCA is coming to ask for a $5,000 grant to support their work.  They have a brief presentation on how their work supports Banff.   You can see it, starting on page 4 of the package. 

Prescribed burns for 2011

Parks Canada is proposing three prescribed burns for 2011.  Two are far from town (Red Deer River and Dormer), but one (Carrot Creek Lower) is quite close.  You can see their presentation starting on page 6 of the package.  They've included a note for people who have respiratory issues -- if you want advance notice of burning days, you can put yourself on their notification list by emailing dave.verhulst@pc.gc.ca

Alberta Winter Games 2012

We will be seeing a presentation suggesting that Banff and Canmore might want to do a joint application to host the 2012 Alberta Winter Games.  You can see the bid package guidelines starting on page 8 of the package.  Looks pretty daunting -- aside from the large amount of fundraising, we would have to find 2500 to 3000 volunteers.  And the deadlines are tight.

Bow Valley Regional Housing

You may have noticed on your property tax bill a small percentage that is levied by the Bow Valley Regional Housing organization.  This is a separate body from the town, with its own taxing authority.  Here in Banff, they are responsible for Mt. Edith House and Cascade House (the former Abbeyfield), and they have a wider range of properties and programs in Canmore.  Many people know very little about this organization and what it does, so this is a great opportunity to understand them better by perusing their service summary, starting on page 40 on the package. 

Building permit and development permit fees

Council had asked in the financial plan for these fees to be updated to cover the actual cost of review, approvals and enforcement.  The updated fees are being brought to council for approval - you can see the report starting on page 50 of the package.

Wayfinding signage

Starting on page 69 of the package, you can see the report describing the 38 signs that will be installed this year.  I'm a little baffled at how they could possible cost an average of $11,000 per sign for fabrication and installation, and will certainly be asking some questions about this one!

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING

Right after council, we will go directly to a Finance Committee meeting in council chambers.  These meetings are open to the public.

This meeting concentrates on the town's purchasing policy.  You can see the agenda package at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Committee+Agendas+PDF/finance-agenda-110228.pdf

 I will be asking a whole range of questions, for example:

  • What do we do to ensure that all interested vendors get a chance to bid on providing goods and services to the town?
  • How can our purchasing policy best support buying local and buying "green"?
  • How can our purchasing policy help us get the best value for your dollar?
  • How do we document the various levels of approvals in the policy?  For example, if the policy says that a $50,000 purchase must be reviewed and approved by the Town Manager, how would I be able to check back a year later to see whether that had been done?
  • How do we make our purchasing decisions transparent and accountable?

SHAMELESS PROMOTION

Just a quick reminder that the Conversation Cafe takes place this Wednesday evening, 7 p.m., at the WildFlour.  Take this opportunity to talk face-to-face about timely issues with an eclectic mix of Banffites.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post describes my opinions and thoughts.  It does not purport to present the opinions or positions of the Town of Banff or its Council.

Hello everyone:

What a gorgeous, snowy day!  It's probably got you thinking about ...

SNOW REMOVAL PRIORITIES

I hear from people fairly regularly with questions about the Town's snow removal.  There's a helpful page on the website:  http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/streets-parking/snow-removal.htm  that gives you lots of information about how the Town deals with snow.  It includes a link to the "snow management map" -- click on that to see where your street sits in the priorities for clearning.  If you disagree with how council has set the snow priorities, let us know -- the map comes up for review around the end of every snow season.

ACTION REQUEST REMINDER

I know that I've mentioned this before, but a reminder won't hurt.  On the town's website, at the very top of every page, you'll see a white band with a string of words in black.  Among those words is "Action Request".  If you want to let the town know about a backed-up storm sewer or a burnt-out street-lamp or a broken Stop sign or your neighbour's dog that never stops barking, the Action Request is a great feature.  Clicking on those words takes you to a quick and simple online form, so that you can let the town know what the problem is.  If you request a callback, town staff will call you to let you know what action was taken.  Using the Action Request is a quick and easy way to make your concerns known.  It also lets us easily track complaints over time, so that we can identify areas that need more attention.

BISON RE-INTRODUCTION -- YOUR HELP, PLEASE!

Next Friday, February 18, I'm part of a public round-table discussion about bison re-introduction to Banff National Park.  I've been asked to be part of the panel to represent the "typical resident".  (Yes, I know, I'm waaaay older than the typical resident!)  I want to be able to raise the comments and/or concerns that residents may be thinking about.  Can you please take a couple of moments to let me know what you think about bison re-introduction and what questions you may have?   A quick email from you would help me be better prepared for this discussion.  Please click Reply on this email to send me your thoughts!

COUNCIL ON MONDAY

How will Council celebrate Valentine's Day?  You can find out by taking a look at the council package, which you can see at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2011+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-110224.pdf

Highlights include ...

A request for exemption of charities from waste collection fees

The YWCA will be making a presentation to request exemption from garbage collection and recycling fees for all charities.  You can see the letter making their case, starting on page 4 of the package.  They're also suggesting that all town departments have their waste and diversion billed for in the budget, as a way of encouraging accountability.

Community Art Committee appointments

Five great candidates have put their names forward for the three vacancies on the Community Art Committee.  This is the group that has done such a super job of picking Banff's well-loved and popular public art, such as the Thunderbird and Eagle sculpture in front of Nesters, and the Mountain Camp sculptures near Safeway. 

Community Services Fund-raising

Every year or so, Community Services gives us a list of all the grants they have successfully applied for to support town priorities.  You can see the report and the list, starting on page 36 of the package.  The department raised an impressive $271,618 in 2010, for everything from youth programs to seniors' fitness equipment.  This list also highlights the support and generosity of service clubs, businesses and other organizations in town.

A request for more enforcement of sidewalk clearing

A letter to council, on page 40 of the package, asks council to be tougher with penalties for those who don't clear their sidewalks.