Hello, everyone:

Well, haven’t the last couple of days been something?!  Bow River flows blew the previous record away – 380 cubic metres per second in 1923 was replaced by yesterday’s 444 cubic metres/second.  We in Banff have been very lucky, and I know we’re all thinking of our friends in Canmore and Calgary.  Huge kudos to town and emergency services staff, who not only took care of Banff, but also pitched in providing necessary assistance for the much more serious situation in Canmore. And huge kudos to all the volunteers – the volunteer response was overwhelming!

I’ve been very impressed with the communication!  Between the constant updates on the Town’s website and the mayor’s top-notch work on Facebook and Twitter, no one needed to rely on the rumour mill – the real information was easy to access.  The most recent update that I’ve received, by the way, is that 93 south (Castle Junction to Radium) is now open to private vehicles and tour buses.

Still no way of knowing when the TCH will be available to the east.  And it is still important, of course, to stay away from the banks of all rivers, creeks and streams.

Astonishingly, in the midst of all of this, normal business continues.  And therefore, I know you’re anxious to hear about ...

COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY

Council meets Monday at 2 pm, and we’d love to see you in the gallery.  You can see the whole agenda package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/06242013-300

Here are a few of the highlights:

2012 Housing Needs Assessment

The BHC board and staff, town staff, and the consultant have been working hard on this report, and now it’s coming to council.  You can see the background and the executive summary starting on page 14 of the package.  Key recommendations are listed starting on page 16 of the package.

The needs assessment points out that rental housing is our most pressing need and that accessible housing is an important and growing issue as more seniors remain in Banff after retirement.  The many key recommendations include:
• Improve data gathering and maintenance
• Continue to focus on encouraging density
• Focus the BHC’s work on rental housing
• Look to regional solutions
• Explore ways to increase enforcement of need to reside

Council is being asked to accept the report as information, and distribute it to key players in housing in the Bow Valley.

Fees for Commercial Development Allotment transfer and for transfer of existing Gross Floor Area

When these two bylaws came to council, one of the suggestions was the establishment of fees for these transfers.  Council is being asked to give first reading to the fees bylaws, and set a public hearing for July 8.  Voting for first reading does not mean that a council member intends to support the bylaw in the end.  It’s just the way to get it onto the council table for consideration.

Canada Day

Who doesn’t love Canada Day in Banff?  Starting on page 45, you can read a briefing on the events planned for this year, including the expected-to-be-popular tug of war between Banff council and Canmore council, with MLA Ron Casey calling the play-by-play.

Staffing for capital project management

Starting on page 47 of the package, you can see Engineering’s request for an additional person for the next three years, to help with an unusually heavy load of capital projects.  The report discusses the pros and cons of contracting this position out, versus doing the work in-house.  I’m inclined to agree that in-house is the way to go, but I will be asking whether this type of project position should perhaps be funded from the capital budget, rather than from operations.

Bridge for the bike trail along Norquay road

You’ve probably noticed the Legacy Trail extension work going on along Norquay Road.  Council had originally approved a bridge over 40-mile Creek, but the estimates for this came in higher than expected.  Administration has provided some information on options, starting on page 50 of the package.  I’d like to explore further the option of having cyclists cross the creek on a dedicated lane of the existing bridge.

Capital project update

Starting on page 55, you can see a description of every capital project the Town has scheduled in 2013, along with information, and often photos, of the progress.  There’s also a complete financial accounting. 

ALSO ON MY COUNCIL CALENDAR THIS WEEK

On Wednesday, the regular monthly board meeting for the Regional Transit Commission.  On Friday, the Banff Housing Corporation board meeting.  And a bunch of work on housing strategy.

THE FINE PRINT

This is Issue 119 of my council update, with six more to go.  Past issues can be seen as posts on my blog at www.lataylor.com/blog.  These updates reflect my personal opinions, and do not purport to be official communications from the Town of Banff or its Council.  As always, I welcome your comments and questions. 

All the best until next time -- Leslie
 

Here are a few quick notes on the questions I’m hearing most frequently.  Please pass this information on!

Where can I find out what’s happening?

Your best source for very current Banff information is www.banff.ca
You’ll see the red light and “Emergency Alert” notice at the top of the home page.  That’s where the most current updates are being posted.

Please, *don't* listen to or contribute to the rumour mill!  Check for the real info at banff.ca

Can I drive to ... ?

Here’s the most current info from Parks Canada
• Trans-Canada Highway:
Closed both directions east of the Norquay interchange - motorists cannot
travel east from Banff
Open both directions between Norquay and Lake Louise - motorists can
travel between Lake Louise and Banff
Open westbound only from Lake Louise to Golden - motorists can
travel to Golden from Banff and points west and make further travel
decisions once in Golden
Closed eastbound from Golden - motorists cannot travel east from Golden
and emergency personnel are NOT allowing local residents (Field, Lake
Louise, Banff) through the closure at this time

Are there any problems with the water supply?

No, our drinking water supply is running normally, water quality is being monitored, and it is fine.

What can I do?

• Some low-lying properties near the river are sandbagging.  Volunteers can help fill sandbags at the dog park.  Please bring a shovel.
• There has been an evacuation of Rocky Mountain Housing Co-op.  If you can host evacuees, please call FCSS 403-762-1251 to put your name on the list.
• Please do *not* go near any riverbanks
• Please do *not* clear the grocery store shelves “just in case”.  Arrangements are being made to get groceries into Banff. 

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!
LT
 

Hello everyone:

I hope you have had a chance to try out the new Roam route to the Cave and Basin!  This new route covers the gondola and upper hot springs and part of downtown as well, on Fridays through Sundays and on stat holidays.  It’s possible for this summer thanks to funding from Parks Canada and the Town of Banff, and the buses we were able to buy with Green Trip funding from the province. 

COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY

Council has a heavy meeting on Monday at 2 pm – we’d love to see you there!  You can see the entire package for the meeting at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/06102013-294

Here are a few of the highlights from the agenda package:

Roam transit ridership stats

The Regional Transit Commission will be sending ridership states to each partner, along with the approved minutes from our regular meetings.  Starting on page 17 of the package, you can see the ridership stats for the Banff local routes and for the Banff-Canmore route.  Although local ridership is slightly down, local route fare revenues collected are slightly up – we believe this is because of our new “smart card” technology, which gives us much better control over the way transit passes are distributed and used.  The big news is the ridership on the Banff-Canmore route, which continues to wildly exceed our cautious first-year expectations.

Second reading of Bylaw 320 - Transferability of Commercial Use Development Allotments

As you know, we have a commercial growth cap here in Banff.  Every so often, a lottery is held to give potential developers a crack at some square footage that will allow them to do their development.  Right now, unused Commercial Development Allotments (CDAs) expire after five years, returning to the Town’s “kitty”.  Meanwhile, there are developers who have part of the square footage they need for their proposed building, but no way (other than the lottery) to acquire more.  The proposed bylaw would allow CDAs to be transferred from a developer who is not going to use them to one who will.

Council gave first reading to this bylaw some time ago, and then held a public hearing.  The bylaw is now coming back to us for amendments and voting on second reading.  You can see the report, starting on page 67 of the package.

CDAs are a precious and scarce resource – a resource in which the whole community has an interest.  Therefore, as the MPC suggested, I will be proposing an amendment that requires any of these transfers to go to the MPC for approval, and be subject to their consideration of the objectives of the Commmunity Plan and the Land Use Bylaw.

Second reading of Bylaw 321 – Transferability of commercial gross floor area

The transfer of CDAs is a transfer of potential, un-built space.  This bylaw proposes transferability of previously built space.  So, for example, if commercial space is demolished, or if a building that was commercial is taken over for non-commercial purposes (a government office, let’s say), then this bylaw proposes that the commercial space represented by that building should be available for transfer to another site.  You can see the report, starting on page 110 of the package.

After a lot of thought, after reading the reports and carefully listening at the public hearing, I am inclined to vote against second reading of this bylaw.  I believe that the “trade-offs” will be hard to track and enforce over time, resulting in situations where development rights that have been bargained away will be reactivated in the distant future – a sort of “have your cake and eat it too” situation.  I also think that very few people will understand the technicalities involved, and, if we continue on an enforcement track that relies on complaints, there will be few or no complainants able to identify transgressors.  Who will remember, 25 years from now, when a construction project is proposed for a vacant lot, that the development rights for that lot were bargained away a quarter-century ago? 

Updating traffic by-law fines

Starting on page 120, you’ll see proposals to update the traffic bylaw, particularly to keep fines in line with municipal averages.  This would result in an increase in parking fines, a decrease in fines for heavy trucks being driven outside our designated “truck routes” and a slight increase in the fine for skateboarding on sidewalks, to match the existing fine for cycling on sidewalks.  I’ll be suggesting that both of the latter be increased to $150 rather than $100.  There will still be a discount for paying fines early, and we will continue to have one of the highest fines in the province for parking in a handicapped zone.

There’s also a proposal to allow the parking of private vehicle-trailer combinations on the public roadway for up to 24 hours.  I understand the thinking here – it’s intended for people who are packing up to go on a vacation, or unpacking after one.  But I want to ensure that the wording does not allow for repeated and frequent use.

Transportation Management Plan – budget amendments

If you want to see when your favourite transportation recommendation is going to be implemented, take a look at the report that starts on page 148 of the package.  You’ll see which items are happening in 2013, which in 2014, and which will come back for future consideration.  Just a caution – items with money in 2013 may not be going all the way to construction – some of the 2013 items are just for design or concept development.  For example, the pedestrian-priority street (or “woonerf”) for the 200 block of Bear show up in 2013, but that’s design only.

Community Housing Strategy – guidelines and workplan

A committee with broad community representation is working on a Community Housing Strategy for Banff – scheduled to come back to Council in June of 2014.  You can see the Guiding Principles and Workplan of the committee, starting on page 156 of the package. 

UTILITY CROSSING/PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE EXPECTED TO OPEN EARLY

It looks as if the utility crossing/pedestrian bridge will be finished well before its September schedule.  Keep an eye on the Crag for opening dates.

ELECTION THIS FALL

Just another reminder that the fall election will be here before you know it.  If you’re thinking of running and have questions about the life and times of a town councillor, I’d be happy to try to answer them.  If you open the Crag each week and mutter about the decisions we’re making – this is your chance to be at the council table when decisions are made.  If you love the way things are going and want them to continue – this is your chance to be at the council table and provide your input.  Either way, whether you’re satisfied or dissatisfied, please, please consider running for council.  Democracy demands good people who are willing to put their ideas to the test of the ballot box.  People like you!

(Yes, fellow grammarians, I do know that should be “People such as you!”, but it just doesn’t have the same appeal.)

COUNCIL SUMMER SCHEDULE

During the summer, council’s meeting schedule changes.  So, just in case you’re anxious to make it to every meeting, here are the summer dates:  June 22, July 8, July 29, August 19. 

OTHER ITEMS ON MY COUNCIL SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

On Monday, council has an informal strategy discussion with the Community Art Committee, and I’m doing a newspaper interview.  On Thursday, the Community Housing Strategy Committee continues its work.  I also have a regular BHC board meeting on Friday morning.

THE FINE PRINT

This is Issue 118 of my council update, with seven more to go.  Past issues can be seen as posts on my blog at www.lataylor.com/blog.  These updates reflect my personal opinions, and do not purport to be official communications from the Town of Banff or its Council.  As always, I welcome your comments and questions. 

All the best until next time -- Leslie

Hello everyone:

Glad to see the weather forecast brightening up a bit!  Before I get out to enjoy this 7-degree day, here is an update on what’s going on with Council.

MONDAY COUNCIL MEETING

Council meets on Monday at 2 pm.  As always, we’d be delighted to see you in the public gallery – there are two opportunities during the meeting for you to ask questions related to Monday’s agenda.  For those of you who are thinking of running in the fall, it’s definitely not too early to start getting up to speed on the issues!

You can see the whole council package for Monday at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/05272013-292

Here are a few highlights from the meeting package ...

Mountain View Estates Housing Co-op

On page 5 of the package, you can see a letter from the Co-op, indicating that they would like to work on an Area Redevelopment Plan.  The density changes in the Land Use Bylaw have created opportunities for their residents to increase the size of their units, and the Co-op is interested in being proactive and looking at how this will affect their area overall.  I applaud the Co-op’s interest in looking ahead, and ensuring that their part of town remains a great place to live.

Library Board By-laws

The Library Board has been doing some tidying up of their bylaws, and they’re bringing the results to Council for approval.  You can see their report starting on page 6 of the package.

The Transportation Plan Continues!

Given that the Crag has already run a survey asking if our transportation changes were good enough, you might be forgiven for thinking that this plan has been reviewed and adopted.  In fact, Council ran out of time at the last meeting and had to postpone the rest of the plan to this coming Monday.  We have about two-thirds of the recommendations still to look at, including paid parking, which will definitely prompt some lively discussion.  In most of the discussions I’ve had, people can support the idea of paid parking if the money is going to a logical end, such as improving transit.  What do you think?

A few of the recommendations that were approved at the last meeting:  implementing a scramble intersection at Banff and Caribou, implementing angle parking in the 100 block of Bow, opening up turning lanes in front of the post office and the Seniors’ Centre, making line changes on Banff Avenue at Buffalo Street to help get straight-on traffic through the intersection.  Most were for implementation this summer, but the scramble intersection will be in 2014.  To see a complete list of what was approved, take a look at that part of the minutes, starting on page 38 of this package.  And you can see the reports and recommendations for this meeting, starting on page 43, and then again on page 134, of this package.

Skateboarding enforcement

On page 106 of the package, you can see a letter urging stronger enforcement of skateboarding rules.  I agree that skateboarding on downtown sidewalks and the river path is a safety hazard, and I really appreciate the skateboarders who follow the rules, and carry their boards in areas of high pedestrian traffic.  Unfortunately, I have had a few experiences similar to those of our letter writer.  The writer points out that the only reason to oppose increased fines would be that one is intending to break the bylaw.  What do you think?  Is it time to increase the fines?

Economic Prosperity Strategy – phase 2

At the last meeting, Council received the report from Phase 1, in which a wide range of people were interviewed and surveyed to gather their opinions on what a prosperous Banff would look like.  Now it’s time to lay out some strategies and tactics that would move us in the directions people identified.  In the report starting on page 127, you can see proposals for three options to do this.  I would like to see Option 3 -- a consultant working with a broad-based local steering committee.  This would require taking some money from our Budget Stabilization Reserve, so I will be asking for a reminder on what our target is for that reserve, and how close we are to that target, before making my vote.

2011-2012 Crime Statistics

Ever wanted to know how many people are reported as “missing”, or how many people spend the night in our cells, or how many cars are stolen?  Starting on page 130 of the package, you can see all the details f these items and many, many more for 2011 and 2012.  The report also points out that false or abandoned 911 calls used up the equivalent of one-half of a full-time police officer in 2012.  Pocket-dialing appears to be the main cause, so let’s all be very careful.  911 is a wonderful service that should not be abused!

ALSO ON MY COUNCIL CALENDAR THIS WEEK

Finance Committee

On Monday morning at 10 am, Council meets as the Finance Committee.  This is an open public meeting, and you’re always welcome to attend.  This week’s meeting includes a review of the Q1 forecast (staff are presently forecasting that we will finish 2013 right on budget), a discussion of how to best link the service review to the budget, and a request to provide a dumpster for the United Church, and empty it without fees, to help with their thrift shop service.

You can see the entire package for this meeting at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/05272013-291

Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference

I will be attending this conference in Vancouver, departing on Thursday.  The FCM is the network for Canadian municipalities across the country, and the direct connection between Canadian municipalities and the federal government.  It carries our messages about such key issues as infrastructure deficits, lobbying for municipalities on Parliament Hill.  I find this conference a valuable opportunity to learn about best practices from other municipalities, and to let others know about what we’re doing in Banff.  This year, I’ll be concentrating on housing-related information to bring back to the Community Housing Strategy committee.  You can see the information about this conference at the following link:
http://www.fcm.ca/home/events/2013-annual-conference-and-trade-show.htm

Council’s policy allows each councillor to attend one conference out of province (usually the FCM), and one conference in province (usually the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association), each budget year.  However, the actual money in the budget does not provide enough to do both, so this will be my one council-supported conference this year.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, any opinions in this post are my personal opinions.  This post is not an official communication of the Town of Banff or its Council.  I welcome your comments and questions!

All the best until next time -- Leslie

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

MONDAY MEETING OF COUNCIL

Council has a very (very!) busy meeting on Monday.  You can see the whole package at this link:
http://www.banff.ca/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/05132013-287

Here are a few of the highlights from the package:

Budget amendment and tax rate

Starting on page 69 of the package, you can read two reports about the impact of the provincial education tax changes on our community’s budget and on our 2013 property taxes.

If you’re a regular reader of these emails, you’ll recall that the Town has been steadily increasing our contributions to capital reserves (the “savings account” that the Town maintains so that future replacements of infrastructure won’t break the bank for the future taxpayers).  We’ve been doing that by “occupying the taxing room” left by decreases in the province’s education taxes collected from Banff.  We had every reason to believe that this trend would continue for at least a couple more years, given what was said during the election, and what the province’s mayors were told by the Municipal Affairs minister just days before the budget came out (“The province will not be balancing its budget on the backs of municipalities”!). 

Unfortunately, the provincial budget did not match what we thought we had been told, and the impact on Banff’s 2013 property taxes has been substantial. 

In order to mitigate the effect on taxpayers, town administration is proposing that we lower the amount going to capital reserves from this year’s budget.  I’m very concerned about this, as we have worked hard as a community to get to the point where we could see that our future infrastructure needs were covered.  This would be a step back from that achievement.  It’s always easy to cut contributions to capital reserves, because the effects are long-term, not short-term.  It’s short-term gain for long-term pain.  I want to discuss with other councillors and staff whether this is really the right way for us to react.

Even with the proposed cut to capital contributions, it appears likely that property taxes will go up substantially.  At a 6 to 1 commercial/residential split, which is what is being proposed, the overall tax increase will be 6.5% for residential, and 4.24% for commercial.  Compare this to 1.71%, which is what we had budgeted for, before the surprise news from the province.

Municipal election 2013

Starting on page 85 of the package, you can read all about the organization required for the 2013 municipal election.  Just a reminder here:  if you’re thinking of running, and are looking for advice or information, I’d be delighted to chat!  Start planning now, because October is coming up fast.  It appears likely that at least two incumbents will not be running again, and we need YOU good people to step up and offer your ideas and energy as candidates for council.

What is “economic prosperity” in the Banff context?

Many of you participated in focus groups, interviews, or online surveys to help define “economic prosperity” as we see it here in Banff.  The results are inspiring, and you can read all about them, starting on page 101 of the package.  There are some really meaningful themes that are common across the different sectors, including a belief in the importance of being worthy of our location in Banff National Park. 

This report is coming for Council’s information.  Phase 2 of the Economic Prosperity project will involve a steering committee working with a consultant to craft an economic prosperity plan that reflects what people have said they want to see.

Transportation Master Plan – some recommendations

The TMP is a huge document, with many recommendations, but only the ones to do with traffic management and parking are coming to Council tomorrow (more will come later).  You can see the report starting on page 183 of the package.  It does a very good job of summarizing the recommendations, the reasoning behind them, the public feedback, and what the next steps might be.  There are a surprising number that could be put in place this summer:  turning lane changes at Banff & Buffalo, seasonal turning lanes at Buffalo & Bear, summer parking spots in front of the High School, a “scramble” intersection at Banff & Caribou, additional parking through angle stalls on Bow Avenue (100 block) and by the library ... and many more. 

The one recommendation that everyone wants to talk about, however, is paid parking.  Just as I said in this 2008 blog post http://www.lataylor.com/node/70 , I believe that paid parking is an effective demand-side parking management tool.  It seems incongruous that we ask people to pay to ride transit to our downtown, and yet we all pay through our taxes to provide “free” parking for private vehicles.  Parking technology has improved so much that we can be flexible with rates and possibly offer parking options to residents.  I think this recommendation is worth pursuing, and I will be voting to have staff bring back a further report on how this could be implemented.  If paid parking becomes a reality, I would love to earmark the revenue for transportation improvements.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this blog post presents just my personal opinions.  It does not purport to be a communication from the Town of Banff or its Council.  I welcome your comments and questions, and I welcome new email subscribers ... although there will only be about nine more of these before the election.