Well, I have absolutely no idea why all my past posts are suddenly sprinkled with upper-case "A"s.  Strangest darn thing!  If anyone knows a quick way to fix that, please let me know!

COUNCIL TOMORROW

Tomorrow's council meeting has only a few items on the agenda, but it took a lot of preparation, because one of those items is the second-quarter results and forecast to year-end.  You can see the report here:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1632

Just scroll down to page 23 , or use the handy bookmarks to jump to item 8.3.

As you'll see, the town is forecasting a $10K positive variance at year-end -- meaning that town administration feels that we're pretty much on budget.  Some expense items, such as the travel/conference/training line, continue to go up (and I will once again be expressing concern about that), but they have been off-set by increased revenues from some of the town's programs and a surprising increase in fines collected by the RCMP.

Why am I expressing concern about the travel/conference/training costs?  Well, because we are now forecasting $25,000 over budget for a year-end total of $278,000.  This compares to a total of $192,000 in 2007 and $178,000 in 2006.  While I think it's important to train people and to attend necessary meetings in other places, I find it hard to take a 56% increase in 2 years.

I go through the forecast line-by-line and compare figures across the years in all areas, then try to ask the best questions I can in order to understand areas where expenses had to go up vs. areas where we have made a choice to allow them to go up.  I'm trying to understand the town's spending in detail, so that I can be more persuasive (I hope) at budget time this fall.

Bsides the financials, Council will be looking at:

Information from the Banff Community Foundation:  executive director Lorraine Widmer-Carson will be coming to council to describe the work of the Foundation, and propose some ideas for working together with the Town.  Because I'm presently doing a small consulting contract for the Foundation, I intend to declare a conflict of interest.  If you're not familiar with the work of the Community Foundation, you might want to take a look at their website:

www.banffcommunityfoundation.org

Banff Refreshing:  we'll be getting a verbal update.  You already know that the final crosswalks will be completed after the Labour Day weekend.  However, this will probably involve re-routing of traffic on Banff Avenue, rather than any more complete closures.  By the way, people have been telling me that they think the new signage on the mid-block crosswalks is making them much more functional and safer.  What do you think?

Recreation Centre feasibility update:  the recreation department has been working with various consultants to determine what parts of the existing building can continue to be serviceable.  The preliminary conclusion is that the arena could be kept and incorporated into a new building.  The department has also applied for a $10 million grant toward the project.  You can read all the latest about this by clicking on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1632

and scrolling down to page 21, or using the bookmark for report 8.2

Commercial space allotment question:  Council is being asked to allow some of the unused commercial space allotment to be allocated to the building of a car wash in the compound.  At the same time, we are being told that a different applicant has applied for a business licence to run a car wash in an existing building.  So Banff may have a car wash operating again, possibly as early as this fall.

GIVING FEEDBACK TO COUNCIL

Quite a few people have been talking to me lately about the plans for Banff Live, the concert on Banff Avenue on August 21.  This is a good opportunity for me to remind you how to provide feedback directly to Council.  If you tell me your opinion about something, I certainly tell other councillors what I've heard, and I take it into account in my decision-making.  I love to hear from you, and I hope you will always give me your feedback and ideas.  But I'm sure you can understand that my saying "Mr. X told me such-and-such" doesn't have nearly as much impact as if Mr. X tells council directly.  So here's a link to Cheryl Hyde's excellent web page on how to connect with Council:

http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/banff-town-council/connect.htm

As you'll see, there are many ways to do it -- a simple email is probably the easiest.  So when you're pleased about something, or when you're not, please take a moment to let Council know.

Hello everyone:

Before I go into the highlights of what's coming to the council meeting on Monday, here's a link to a new feature on the Town's website:

http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/blog.htm

Various Town staff are going to contribute to a blog about their jobs, the issues they deal with -- behind-the-scenes stuff from Town Hall.  There are some good entries already.  I hope you'll take a look and perhaps leave a comment!

BANFF AVENUE

You'll all have noticed that Banff Avenue is open again, and you'll probably be pleased to hear that it is scheduled to stay open until after the Labour Day weekend.  At that point, there will be a short closure to finish off the last two sets of crosswalks.

ROAM TRANSIT

I Roamed last week ( a trip out to the Springs).  The bus was clean and comfortable, on time to the minute, and I had a lot of fun chatting with tourists from Florida and from Australia.  I recommend it!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AGENDA COMING TO COUNCIL MONDAY ...

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

As you may recall, the Central Park to Rec Grounds pedestrian bridge was awaiting $500,000 in fundraising and $900,000 in borrowing.  It's coming back to council because the lowest bid was $620,000 above the pre-tender estimate, and the fundraising effort has come up with $114,000 so far.  The report therefore recommends that we put the project on hold pending the fundraising of a further $1,006,000.  The total of the project would now be $2.7 million.  As I've mentioned before, I have not supported this bridge project because I feel that, while it will be a nice recreational connection between the two park areas, it will not accomplish the goal of making the foot/bike commute from the south side safer and easier for the majority of south side residents.   You can read all about the project by clicking on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1574 and scrolling to page 16.

FLEET SHOP/TRANSIT FACILITY

For some time, staff have been working on the design of a building to house the fleet services mechanics' shop, provide a centralized location for shipping/receiving/parts storage and inventory, and provide garageing and washbay for the town's transit buses.  The building is intended to be LEED silver -- which means that it has to meet stringent environmental standards in its siting, construction, and energy and water efficiency.  The project is coming back to council because it looks like it will cost $4.994 million, rather than $3.5 million, as was estimated at budget time last fall.  A suggestion is being made that we could use the Federal transit grant we've recently received and the provincial transit money that has recently been announced to help make up the difference.  However, I feel that those grants are intended to support expansions and improvements in our transit, not pay for cost over-runs.  I think we should look for the dollars by cancelling and postponing lower-priority capital projects.  You can read about this project by clicking on:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1574 and scrolling to page 22.

CAVE AVENUE BYLAW AMENDMENT

You've probably read quite a bit by now about the proposed bylaw amendment to increase density on Cave Avenue.  This proposed amendment is coming at the request of the Banff Housing Corporation, who would like to build a housing project on six lots they have acquired near the junction with the road that goes down to the stables.  At the last meeting, Council held a public hearing and listened to input from many people, mostly Cave Avenue residents.

This is a very difficult decision for me.  Of course, we all know that affordable housing is an important issue, and I would like to do the right thing to help make sure that projects are put in place.  However, the particular parcel of land in question has a lot of challenges.  And this bylaw wouldn't just increase density for that parcel of land, it would increase density for the whole of Cave Avenue - a district where the density is already almost twice the town average.  It is important to think of this as an overall planning decision, regardless of who is proposing it, or for what good purpose.

I'm not one of those people who thinks that density is a bad thing.  Our town density is already unusually high for a small town (according to StatsCan, we're eight times as dense as Canmore, for example).  Our density is part of what makes our town vibrant, compact, walkable. 

But, to be good density, density has to be well-planned, it has to be planned with positive neighbourhood involvement, and it has to be put in the right places.  We're just about to embark on a review of the Land Use Bylaw that may well put more density in many locations around town.  Cave Avenue may turn out to be one of those.  But I'd like to look at it in context with all the other options, and make decisions based on the overall picture.  For that reason, and after a great deal of soul-searching, I believe that the proposed bylaw amendment is premature, and I will be asking Council to postpone this proposal and make it part of the overall review.

BURIAL OF OVERHEAD UTILITIES ALONG THE ALLEY BETWEEN THE CLOCKTOWER MALL AND THE CEMETERY

Fortis is planning to do some upgrades to their powerlines along this popular walking route, and staff is suggesting that we partner with them, get them to contribute the money they would have spent above ground, and make up the difference to get the lines buried.  This utility burial project is presently in the capital budget for 2010.  By moving it up, we get Fortis' $102,000 as a contribution to the project.  Sounds worth doing!  You can see the report with pictures of the affected area by clicking on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1574 and scrolling to page 70.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this blog entry expresses my view and opinions only - it does not in any way pretend to represent the official opinion of the Council or the Town of Banff. 

Happy summer solstice, everyone -- I hear that the summer solstice float was at an all-time high, with 38 canoes!

Here are some highlights of what has been in front of Council recently, and will be in front of Council on Monday:

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Well, as you may know from reading the paper, my initiative on financial disclosure went nowhere.  Thanks to the folks who sent supportive comments after the meeting!  A couple of people have asked me why I thought this was important, so I just want to take a moment to show you what is required of town councillors in British Columbia.

First, they must disclose their financial interests, including:

• The name of each corporation in which they hold one or more shares

• The name of each creditor to whom they owe a debt, with a few exceptions (such as  their house mortgages)

• The name of each business or organization located in their town from which they receive financial remuneration.

• All lands other than their personal residence in which they own an interest

• Similar information to the above for any corporation in which they own a 30% or higher share

Then, if they enter into a contract with the municipality while they are serving councillors, or anytime within the first six months after they leave office, that contract has to be announced at the next council meeting open to the public.

It seems to me that citizens in British Columbia are given the opportunity to know about council members' financial interests and business dealings with the municipality without having to ask. I thought that was a good standard of transparency, worth trying to introduce here. 

In British Columbia, councillors have to file all this information at the Town Hall, and any resident can view the information on request.  Since I think this is important, here's what I've decided to do.  I will prepare a summary of the above information, as it applies to me and my husband.  Any resident of Banff who wants to see it can just send me an email with their mailing address, and I'll mail it out to them.  That way, I'll personally be providing the disclosure that I believe is important. 

Do let me know if you want a copy!

CAVE AVENUE DENSITY CHANGE PROPOSAL

Public hearing is Monday at 2 pm.  I sent out an email on this already, but I just want to add one thing. 

Several people have mentioned on their questionnaires that they are disappointed that first reading was passed by council, that it happened before the comments due date, etc.  Unfortunately, I think the standard process that we always follow has led to some confusion.

In order to get a bylaw amendment on the table for discussion, Council has to pass first reading.  Voting for first reading doesn't mean that people support the bylaw - it just means that they agree that it needs to be discussed and to have a public hearing so that all points of view can be heard. They're just saying "This issue is out there and needs to be discussed, and we need to invite the public to join that discussion in a formal way, as required by our land use bylaw and the Municipal Government Act".

 If you look at administration's report in the last council package, you'll see that they just recommended first reading and public hearing.  I know that they are committed to a thorough and open public process, and I know that council feels the same.  At the end of the process, a decision may be made to pass the amendment, to defeat it, to postpone it (as some of you have suggested), or to change the way it's written and consider that new version.  Nothing is predetermined at this point. I hope that you can make it to the public hearing, or provide your comments on a comment form.  To see how, go to www.banff.ca, and click on the Cave Avenue link on the front page. 

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR THE HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION 

You'll find an interesting and thorough description of the town's employee development program in the report that goes with this request -- you'll see it at http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1542  starting on page 75.  I'm going to listen to the case for this carefully, and weigh the pros and cons.  However, a major concern for me is that the Town is already forecasting going over budget in 2008.  With that in mind, I'll be asking where else we're going to cut if we want to make this change possible. 

REQUEST FOR ABBEYFIELD HOUSE PROJECT FUNDING 

Bow Valley Regional Housing has recently made an offer to purchase the Abbeyfield House building at the corner of Beaver and Wolf, to provide seniors' housing. The Provincial Government is providing the majority of the funding for the purchase and renovation of the building. In order to finance the remainder of the purchase price and renovations, the five member municipalities of the BVRH need to contribute $636,600 towards the project. The Town of Banff portion of this amount is 23.7% or $150,874, and the recommendation is that the Town borrow this for a term under 5 years.  This loan would be paid back through the taxes levied by the Bow Valley Regional Housing group -- these taxes show up as part of your municipal tax bill. 

This seems like a reasonable approach to increasing the amount of housing available in our community for Banff seniors who are no longer able to live entirely independently. 

LOW INCOME TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVES 

There's a report in the council package about the transit bus pass program, the taxi pass program, and the Banff/Canmore community bus program -- all initiatives to help low-income, handicapped or senior residents get around for errands, appointments, etc.  You can read about these programs at

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1542 by scrolling to page 100

Council is being asked to extend the low income transit pass program (which has been running as a pilot program) on a permanent basis.  At present, 26 individuals are helped by this program.  The costs to the Town are negligible, and the help to people who need it seems worthwhile!

GOOD NEWS - REQUEST FOR ADDITION OF 333 MUSKRAT TO TOWN'S HERITAGE REGISTRY

The owners of 333 Muskrat have applied to add their property to the town's heritage registry.  333 Muskrat was built in the late 19-teens by James Anderson, and was in the Anderson family until the late 80s.  It's a B-ranked property in excellent shape. This puts a total of 52 properties on the Town's heritage registry.

HANDICAPPED PARKING AND BANFF AVENUE

The Town has been asked to look at whether handicapped parking stalls should be provided right on Banff Avenue, as opposed to just in the parking lots one block off.  Administration is recommending that we not do this, saying that it would require handicapped drivers to load/unload with traffic going right by them, and would pose a safety hazard.  They're recommending that we consider increasing the snow and ice control between the existing stalls and Banff Avenue, as the problem of getting to Banff Avenue seems to be mostly a winter problem.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this blog entry expresses my view and opinions only - it does not in any way pretend to represent the official opinion of the Council or the Town of Banff.

Hello everyone: 

Next Monday, there will be a public hearing about the proposed change in density on Cave Avenue.  If you’re interested in this – perhaps because you live in the area, or you have an interest in Banff Housing Corporation projects – you may want to comment.  Here’s some information on how to do that:

·         Speak at the meeting (2 pm, Monday, 23 June at Town Hall). Speakers have five minutes to comment on the proposed bylaw unless additional time is granted at the discretion of Council.

·         Send written comments one of two ways:

1. By writing a letter or email, and submitting it  to the Municipal Clerk (Banff Town Hall, 110 Bear Street, fax 403.762.1260, email cheryl.hyde@banff.ca).
2. By printing and filling out the Town’s questionnaire, and delivering or faxing it to Town Hall, 110 Bear Street, fax 403-762-1101

·         Letters, emails, and questionnaires received by 4p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 will be included in the meeting package

·          Letters, emails, and questionnaires received after June 18 will not be included in the agenda package but can be distributed at the meeting.

 For more information about the proposed amendment and the public hearing, visit:

http://www.banff.ca/town-hall/announcements/cave-avenue.htm

 If you have questions about the proposed bylaw amendment, please contact Troy Pollock, Senior Planner, at p.403.762.1120 or email troy.pollock@banff.ca.

Hello everyone:

 Here are some items of current interest and some notes on what's coming to Council tomorrow.  As always, any opinions expressed are mine alone, and do not purport to be those of Council or the Town of Banff.

ACTION REQUEST REMINDER

If you have something that you want the Town to fix or pay attention to, there's a quick way to get your request to the right department.  Just go to www.banff.ca, and click on "Action Request", which you'll see in the white area across the top.  This carries you to a page where you can enter your concern.  I've tried this system out myself, and it seems to work very well.

WHAT'S HAPPENING ON BANFF AVENUE?

Everyone is wondering how the construction is going and what actions will be taken to make up the current 3-week delay.  Here is the intended schedule for closures and detours as it exists right now:

June 5^th – June 8^th

Caribou Street intersection closed on both east and west sides – Banff Avenue open.

June 9^th – June 27th^{   Â} 

Full closure of Banff Avenue to vehicular traffic – Caribou intersection closed, Wolf and Buffalo Street intersections will be open.

June 27^th – July 2nd

Banff Avenue and all intersections open for the long weekend and the Canada Day parade.

July 3^rd – July 24^th

Full closure of Banff Avenue to vehicular traffic – Caribou intersection closed, Wolf and Buffalo Street intersections will be open.

July 25th

Everything re-opens for the rest of the summer.

COMING TO COUNCIL MONDAY - 1ST READING OF CAVE AVENUE DENSITY AMENDMENT

As you know, the Banff Housing Corporation is interested in having a bylaw amendment passed that would remove one of the three density restrictions in the Cave Avenue District, thus allowing more units on the 6-lot parcel they have on Cave Avenue.  An open house was held last week to show interested people the intended approach.

This proposed bylaw amendment is coming to council for 1st reading tomorrow.  Three readings are needed to pass a bylaw amendment. 1st reading just gets the amendment on the table for discussion.  A public hearing is proposed for June 23rd.

You can read the report on this item by clicking on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1507

and scrolling down to page 61.

COMING TO COUNCIL MONDAY - TANGIBLE CAPITAL ASSETS POLICY

There's been a change in the accounting practices for municipalities, and -- like all other municipalities across Canada - Banff will be changing the way we account for our capital assets.  This will cost time, money and effort at the front end, but will lead to better tracking of the financial and infrastructure health of the town.  You can read about this by clicking on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1507

and scrolling down to page 76.

COMING TO COUNCIL MONDAY - FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE DISCUSSION

Council asked staff to bring in a report about what can and can't be asked for in the way of financial disclosure by councillors and staff.  I didn't bring this motion because I think anyone is doing anything wrong - I brought the motion because I think there should be enough information publicly available so that the public can judge for themselves how things are being done.  As you know, I think that having transparency around who owns what and who benefits from which actions would be a good thing.  However, it has been pointed out by other members of Council that this was not in the "job description" when they signed up to run, and that's certainly a fair comment. 

The staff report provides the legal background to such financial disclosure bylaws, and discusses the implications of financial disclosure from a personnel and privacy point of view.  It also includes information on the provisions in the existing Town personnel and purchasing policy.

 You can read the report here:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1507

by scrolling down to page 86.

DISASTER SOCIAL SERVICES UPDATE

Having a well organized Disaster Social Services plan is an important part of any municipality's emergency preparedness.  Council will be getting an update on Banff's plan, and you can see it at:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1507

by scrolling down to page 92.

FCSS ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT

This report shows you the work that was done by FCSS on their 2006-2007 action plan, and also their intended actions for 2008.  You'll be amazed by all the work that has been done by this group!