email update, January 11, 2009

Hello everyone:

I hope you're all enjoying the fabulous snow, and that you had a great holiday season.  The first Council meeting of 2009 is happening tomorrow, and it looks like a fairly light agenda.  Here are some of the highlights:

TAXI BYLAW AMENDMENT SUGGESTED

Discover Banff Tours is coming to Council to ask for an opportunity to acquire 15 taxi licenses.  The present bylaw limits the number of taxi licenses that are available at any one time -- this is common in most municipalities.  Discover Banff is making the point that most of the existing licenses are under the control of one group of companies, and they are suggesting that additional competition might be warranted.  You can read their letter at

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1832

by scrolling down to page 8.

SUMMER STUDENTS -- BYLAW SERVICES

During budget discussions, it was suggested that hiring summer students in the bylaw enforcement group actually pays for itself through additional fine revenue.  Council encouraged the bylaw folks to show us the numbers, and so this background information is coming to council tomorrow.  Looking at the numbers presented for the years 2000 through 2008 (you can see them by clicking on http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1832 and scrolling down to page 15), I'm having a hard time seeing the correlation between summer students and revenue, but I'm looking forward to hearing an explanation at the meeting. 

Many of you have mentioned a wish for more enforcement of regulations re skateboarding and bike riding on the sidewalks, and I'd like to see more bylaw staff out there to make that happen -- if we can balance the budget at the same time.

COMMUNITY ART COMMITTEE

The minutes of this committee, which you can see by clicking on http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1832 and scrolling down to page 31, provide some insight into how much effort this volunteer committee puts into finding and publicizing the right public art for Banff.  Council is also being asked to appoint a new member to the committee.

REQUEST FOR EXTENSION, LOAN GUARANTEE FOR ROCKY MTN HOUSING COOP

Since the beginning of the Coop -- located on the edge of the Rec grounds -- the Town of Banff has provided a loan guarantee in order to help the Coop access a more favourable interest rate.  The present loan guarantee runs out in May, and the RMCHA is asking Council to extend the loan guarantee once again.  This doesn't actually cost the Town money, but it does diminish our "borrowing room" -- the amount of borrowing we would be allowed to do for other projects.  You can read about this here:  http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1832 by scrolling down to page 38.

OTHER ITEMS

Council is also being asked to update the Bylaw Officers Bylaw to bring it into compliance with new provincial requirements, to pass the annual borrowing bylaw, and to update cemetery, fire protection and off-site levy fees.

A REMINDER ABOUT THE ACTION REQUEST

Just a reminder that if you need to Town to fix something or look at a problem in your neighbourhood, the best way to do this is to put in an Action Request.  Go to www.banff.ca and look at the top of the page - in the black-and-white strip across the top, you will see "Action Request".  Click on that and fill out the brief form.  I have used this method a few times and find that it works really well!

THE FINE PRINT

Any opinions expressed in this update are mine, not those of the Town of Banff or Banff Town Council.  Any errors in fact are my fault, not theirs.