Council will be looking at the recommendations from the BHC working group over the next few weeks, and will be starting to vote on them on August 26.  There will be a public meeting on August 16 to receive input in person, and you can also provide written comments if that is easier for you.

You can read all about this process and see a copy of the recommendations at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/locals-residents/housing/banff-housing-corporation/mandate-review.htm

I hope you will take the opportunity to comment on these recommendations! 

Hello everyone:

 Hope you're enjoying this amazing summer weather!  I guess we appreciate it more when we've been a bit deprived.  Here are a few highlights of things going on at council and the Town of Banff.

GEE -- DO THE VISITORS REALLY NOT LIKE US?

In conjunction with some of the discussions of the Land Use Bylaw, you may have read or heard statements such as these:

These statements come from summaries of the results of the Indexperience Survey, a major survey of how visitors rated various aspects of their experience in Banff and Banff National Park.  This survey was conducted in the summertime of 2008 and the winter of 2009.

When I hear a survey being summarized, I'm always anxious to see the actual numbers behind the summary statements.  So let's take a look at these numbers, and you can decide for yourself whether the summary statements are justified.

Authentic mountain community:  Visitors were asked to respond to the statement "In the Town of Banff you get the impression of being in an authentic mountain community".  In the summer survey, 20% of visitors (one in five) said that they either "totally disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" with this statement.  80% of visitors (4 out of 5) either totally agreed, somewhat agreed, or were neutral on this statement.  In the winter survey, 15% of visitors (approximately one in seven) said that they either "totally disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" with this statement.  The rest either totally agreed, somewhat agreed, or were neutral on this statement.

So it would be fair to say that between 15% and 20% of visitors do not get the impression of being in an authentic mountain community, or that the impression of being in an authentic mountain community is not being achieved with 15-20% of the visitors.

Originality of products:  Visitors were asked to respond to the statement: "In the Town of Banff, visitors can buy products they cannot find at home".  In the summer survey, 17.3% of visitors (approximately one in six) said that they either "totally disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" with this statement.  82.7% of visitors (5 out of 6) either totally agreed, somewhat agreed, or were neutral on this statement.  In the winter survey, 16% of visitors (approximately one in six) said that they either "totally disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" with this statement.  The rest either totally agreed, somewhat agreed, or were neutral on this statement.

So it would be fair to say that between 16% and 17.3% of visitors felt that original/unique products were not available here, or that one out of every six visitors feels that original/unique products are not available here.

Of course we always have lots of room to improve.  And of all the questions asked, these were a couple of our least positive responses, so we can hope to concentrate on improving them.  But, as we consider changes to our Land Use Bylaw, I do think it's important to understand the exact nature and scale of the visitor comments that we may be reacting to.

 You can see more of the summer survey numbers here:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Business+PDF/summer-indexperience-results-2008.pdf

and more of the winter survey numbers here:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Business+PDF/winter-indexperience-results-2008.pdf

And, of course, you can comment on the various ideas being proposed for Phase 2 of the Land Use Bylaw starting here:

http://www.banff.ca/business/planning-development/land-use-review/phase_two_outreach.htm

BHC WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS

On Monday, council will meet as BHC shareholders to receive the recommendations from the BHC Working Group.  These recommendations cover everything from resale process to BHC board structure to communicating about policy changes.  You can see the full reports at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Committee+Agendas+PDF/BHC+Shareholder+Agendas/bhc-shareholders-agenda-100719.pdf

The reports recommend that we send the working group results out for people to look at, hold a public meeting for input, and then vote on the recommendations themselves sometime in September.

MONDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the full package here:  http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-100719.pdf

A few highlights ...

Subaru Triathlon banners?

Council is being asked by the organizers of the Subaru Banff Triathlon to waive the $100/banner fee that our policy apparently dictates for "corporate" street banners.  My initial reaction is that I am uncomfortable with our street banners being used to provide multiple repetitions of a business name all up Banff Avenue, although I certainly understand the importance of sponsorship to event organizers.  I'm interested to hear the discussion at council -- and I'd love to hear your comments.  You can see the request letter and a picture of the proposed banner starting on page 9 of the package.

Regional Transit Services Commission

I'm delighted that Canmore and ID #9 have already voted to cooperate with us on applying to the Minister of Municipal Affairs for the creation of a regional transit commission for the Bow Valley.  Now it's coming to us for approval as well.  You can see the reports starting on page 30 of the package.  I will certainly be voting for this initiative -- I think that working with our regional partners and Parks Canada to provide transit is an important step toward a sustainable future.

Municipal Election

You can see a report starting on page 66 of the package, detailing plans for this fall's municipal election.  At present, advance polls are in the works for October 6 and October 13, followed by the election itself on October 18.  So you'll have three different opportunities to cast your vote, and I do hope that you will.  If you're thinking of running for election, and I do hope that you are, you can find out all you need to know at http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/banff-town-council/election-2010.htm

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post represents my personal opinion, and does not purport to represent the position of the Town of Banff or its council.  I welcome your comments and questions!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that the Phase 2 proposals for the Land Use Bylaw are up on the Town’s website for your comment and input.  These are very much *proposals* at this stage – in spite of some of the news coverage you may have heard or read, these are *not* things the town has decided to do, they are ideas that are being put out there for us all to consider and discuss. Each proposal is explained in a brief web page, and then at the bottom there are one or two questions for you to answer if you wish to do so.  I strongly encourage you to take a look at the introduction to phase 2 here:

http://www.banff.ca/business/planning-development/land-use-review/phase_two_outreach.htm

and then work your way through the various ideas at your leisure. Why should you care?  Because the Land Use Bylaw determines what our town looks like in the future.  Buildings built next year under this bylaw will probably still be in place 50 years from now, and they will shape the look and feel of our town.  So, please, have your say! All the best - Leslie

Hello, everyone:

I hope you're enjoying a pleasant weekend!  Just in case you have time to catch up on council news, here's what's going on ...

BHC WORKING GROUP

This group of Banff Housing Corp homeowners, members of the general public, and council representatives has been working hard since before Christmas to review and make recommendations on the operational changes proposed for the BHC.  At first, they met bi-weekly, then weekly, for three hours at a time.  The volunteers on this working group have put in a tremendous number of hours and a huge effort!  That's why I expect they'll be very happy folks on Tuesday night, June 29, when the group holds its last meeting.

Group recommendations will then be sent to the shareholders of the Council, who will then make them available to the public for review and comment before voting on them.  The vote will likely take place in September.

All the meetings of the BHC Working Group have been open to the public, and the one on Tuesday night (7 pm in Council Chambers) is no exception.  So do come and join us if you'd like to!  Or, if you know someone who has volunteered on this group, take the opportunity to thank them this week and congratulate them on the completion of this project.

MONDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the whole package for council's meeting at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-100628.pdf

Here are some of the highlights:

Mayor and Town Manager at Safeway July 6

As part of council's community engagement initiative, Mayor Stutz and town manager Robert Earl are taking a town tent and heading out to various busy locations in town to answer your questions and get your comments.  The next "town kiosk" will be on July 6 at Safeway.  I hope you will take this opportunity to chat with the mayor and town manager.

Wayfinding installation delayed again

As you can see on page 6 of the package, the installation of new signs was delayed by the bad weather in June.  Fair enough, but the update also says that we now plan to do no further work until September, even though all previous updates contemplated working through the summer.  I'll be asking why.

Water Services bylaw update

Starting on page 15 of the package, you can read the report and see the proposed new bylaw. 

The previous statement about not running water on any street or sidewalk has been replaced by a prohibition on environmentally inappropriate use of water, which you can see on pages 27 and 36 of the package.  This is great, because it specifically targets waste without affecting normal and appropriate use.

"Cross connections" are an important focus of this bylaw.  Without a functional backflow prevention device in place, it is possible for contaminated water from irrigation systems, boilers, etc. to be drawn into the main water system.  We all have a responsibility to ensure that this doesn't happen, and the bylaw -- especially on pages 24 and 25 -- talks about how such contamination can (and must) be prevented.

Inspections and education for larger buildings will be part of the annual fire inspection routine.  For smaller buildings, such as your home, next time you have the plumbers in for a repair or maintenance, you might consider also asking them to take a look at your backflow prevention device.

New budget format

To confirm with proper accounting practice as laid out by the Public Sector Accounting Board, the town is switching over financial formats.  On Monday, council will be asked to approve the 2010 budget (already approved in the old format) in the new format.  I am looking forward to getting an educational presentation on the new format from staff, because it's very different from what we're used to.  You can see the report starting on page 63 of our package.

A fourth Development Officer

Council is being asked to give a fourth member of the planning department the designation of "Development Officer" -- you can see the request starting on page 68 of the agenda package.  A Development Officer is the approving authority for projects that are permitted uses and meet various requirements.  For some time, the town had only one Development Officer, then two.  Very recently, a third was appointed.  I am baffled about why we now need four, given that our present year is the sixth busiest of the last seven in terms of numbers of development permits to date, and will be asking for some convincing evidence of need.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this post represents my personal point of view, and does not purport to represent the point of view of the Town of Banff or its Council.  I welcome your questions or comments!

Hello everyone:

A gorgeous weekend at last! I do hope you're getting a chance to enjoy it.  I have been -- that is, when I'm not busy reading my council package.

YOUR RESIDENTIAL TAXES

By now, you've received your residential tax bill, and probably seen a substantial increase.  As I mentioned in my May 8 update, because of the current economic climate, commercial assessments have dropped substantially.  Residential assessments have dropped, too, but not as much.  This, along with the commercial/residential tax split of 4.5:1 (voted by council on May 10) means that residents end up with more of the tax burden on them this year.  So, even though the overall tax increase in town is 2.55% (after a 0% overall for 2009), residents have seen an average increase of 7.1%.  If we had gone with a 4:1 tax split, as we had last year, the residential increase would have been 12.57%.  I proposed a 5:1 split to council, which would have led to both commercial and residential having a 2.55% increase, but council felt that that split went too far in attempting to mask the true effects of assessment changes.

I've heard from a couple of people about their residential increases, and I'm willing to go through the decision-making process in detail with anyone who asks.  I know that the taxation process, with budgets, assessments, mill rates and tax splits, can be a bit confusing.  And no one likes to see a tax increase, at any time.

MONDAY'S COUNCIL MEETING

You can see the package for Monday's meeting at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Minutes+PDF/2010+Minutes+PDF/council-agenda-100610.pdf

Highlights include:

Proposed changes to the Taxi Bylaw

The questions of "when is a sedan a taxi?", "how many livery plates should there be", and "how should those plates be allocated if they come up for re-assignment?" are back before council.  You can see the full series of reports starting on page 15 of the package, and a letter from an affected party starting on page 8.  We will be hearing two delegations from affected parties at council, and there may be items in those presentations that cast more light on the subject.  At present, though, I am tending to think that a car that behaves like a taxi (waiting at taxi stands, soliciting for walk-by business) is a taxi, and should be regulated as one.  

I would be very interested to hear from any of you who have comments on the existing level of taxi service in town.   

First quarter financial statements

Yes, I know, your eyes are glazing over again.  But, if you're keen (as I am), you can take a look at this report starting on page 56 of the package, to see notes on the factors that are affecting the town's performance against budget.  Some items have moved up, some down, but overall the forecast for year-end is very close to budget at this time.

Environmental incentive program

If you've thought about taking advantage of the town's rebate program for energy-efficient and water-efficient improvements to your home or business, you'll be interested to see the changes to the program that are being proposed starting on page 81 of the package.  Proposals for adding to the rebate list include: energy-efficient doors and windows, Energy Star refrigerators, water heater insulator blankets, and solar water heating installations.

Finance committee startup meeting

This separate package:  http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/finance-agenda-100614.pdf

shows you the agenda for the first meeting of council's new finance committee.  At this meeting, council will be deciding on what tasks the committee should focus on.  A glance at the package will show you the list of tasks proposed.  This new committee will have all councillors and the mayor as members, and will give council an opportunity to have more meeting time dedicated to financial planning, policy-setting and review.  I'm pleased to see this proposal finally coming to fruition.

SUMMER SCHEDULE

As has been the custom, in July and August, council will have one meeting per month rather than two.  These meetings are on July 19 and August 16.

CHANCE FOR INPUT

Watch the paper for an announcement of the open house to launch Phase 2 of the Land Use Bylaw review.  I will send out an email as soon as I know the date.  I know that it's hard to go to a meeting when the weather's good, but this phase, dealing with commercial development, will be of interest and importance to all Banffites.

FALL ELECTION

As I've mentioned a few times before, the fall election will soon be upon us. 

As you saw in the paper this week, Mayor Stutz has announced that he will not be running again.  We all owe John a debt of gratitude for his hard work over the past two terms (and previously on council).  I hope you will take the opportunity to say "thanks" if you run into him over the next few weeks. 

Councillors Gibson and Macdonald have already said that they are not running again, and Councillor Sorensen has informally announced that she intends to run for mayor (expect a formal announcement closer to the election).  That means that at least three of the six available council seats will have no incumbents, making for a very wide-open race.  I do hope that all of you are considering whether this is the right time for you to stand for election and serve your community, or whether you can encourage and support someone else you know who would be a good candidate.

At present, it's my intention to run for re-election as a councillor, assuming that life doesn't throw any surprises my way between now and the fall.