Council update, 27 December 2010

Hello everyone:

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, and finding time for relaxing with family and friends.  Council is meeting on Wednesday, December 29, and you can see the agenda package at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/council-agenda-101229.pdf

Here are some highlights of what will be on the agenda:

Report from the Banff Ideas Bank

The October discussion (why do we love to hate politicians?!), the November discussion (what is one thing we need to get right in Banff in 2011?), and the December discussion (what makes you happy?) will be summarized for Council by Colin Funk.  There are lots of great ideas in these discussions -- you can see the report starting on page 2 of the agenda package.

Bow River Basin Watershed Management Plan, Phase 2 Terms of Reference

Banff is a long-term member of the Bow River Basin Council, a group that brings together decision-makers from all along the Bow and its tributaries to work together on ways to protect water quality and quantity.  As one of the stewards of the headwaters, we have a special responsibility to ensure that we are doing this right.  We've been active in this group, and -- along with our partners in the Bow Corridor Ecological Advisory Group -- we recently presented to them a complete report of the ways in which we are working to implement the BRBC objectives on water quality. 

The BRBC is asking for all members to approve a Terms of Reference for Phase 2 of the watershed management plan, which will concentrate on land use, headwaters and wetlands.  You can see the report starting on page 15 of the package.

Waste and Recycling Utility

As you know, Banff is moving toward a user-pay approach to waste and recycling in the commercial areas.  Up until now, waste and recycling have been paid for through taxes.  If this new utility is approved, over the next three years we will phase in user-pay fees and phase out the tax coverage of commercial waste and recycling.  Several questions were asked about the proposed approach and rate structure at the last meeting, and we will be discussing the responses to those on Wednesday.  Council is being asked to approve second and third readings of the bylaw to start the transition to the utility at the beginning of 2011.

You can see the reports on this item starting at page 46 of the agenda package.

2011 Municipal Fee Structure

Starting on page 69 of the package, you can see the full range of municipal fees being proposed for 2011 -- everything from cemetery interment fees to dog licence fees to builidng permit fees to the cost to rent a town parking stall.  As you'll see, many of the fees will remain at 2010 levels.  There is a proposed increase to the cost of transit for seniors and children (from $1 to $1.50), and I will be asking council to keep those fees at the 2010 level.  We want people to ride transit, and many tourism destinations provide transit free to customers.

BUDGET MEETING

After the regular council meeting is over, council will go right into a budget meeting.  It looks to me as if we are getting close to approving an operational and a capital budget for 2011.  You can see the agenda package at this link:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2010+Agendas+PDF/council-budget-agenda-101229.pdf

Several capital projects proposed for 2011 seem to me to be very supportable (for example, the rebuilding of the cracked tennis court at the Rec Grounds, and the planning for a safe ped/bike crossing of the CPR tracks near the compound).  I've asked administration to show us how the balances in capital reserves would look if those projects went ahead, and they have provided that information in the package. 

 THE FINE PRINT

As always, this blog entry represents only my personal opinion.  It does not purport to represent the official position of the Town of Banff or its Council.