Council update, 23 January 2011
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INPUT
A couple of important consultations are going on right now, and you can easily put in your thoughts online:
Land Use Bylaw - Phase 2
The Town staff are working away on Phase 2 of the Land Use Bylaw revisions. This is the phase that covers the regulations for commercial development. These regulations affect the look of the town, its future environmental and economic sustainability, and the quality of life for each and every resident. Have your say! You can see the various proposals, and comment on each one, at:
http://www.banff.ca/business/planning-development/land-use-review/phase_two_outreach.htm
If you prefer to see presentations and comment in person, there will be public open houses on this phase, and I'll be sure to let you know when they are.
Mt. Norquay Draft Site Guidelines
Parks Canada is working on the document that sets parameters for the future of Mt. Norquay -- you may have seen the article in the paper about summer use, just one part of this important document. You can read all about it, and comment (until February 11) at this link:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/plan/norquay-2011.aspx
The public meetings have already been held for this consultation, so online is your best mode of input at this point.
SHAMELESS PROMOTION
A couple of my favourite community events are happening soon:
Jon Whyte Spelling Bee
25 January: the Jon Whyte Spelling Bee, 7 pm at the Whyte Museum. Whether you choose to enter a team of six for this spelling and trivia challenge, or whether you choose to come as a spectator, the Bee is a wonderful community event and a lot of fun!
Ideas Bank/Conversation Cafe
2 February: Conversation Cafe, 7 pm at the Wild Flour. Have you had a really interesting conversation lately? Moderators Colin Funk and Kim Bater always propose great questions, and the format ensures that you explore those questions with a diverse group of people.
COUNCIL MEETING TOMORROW
Council meets tomorrow at 2 p.p. and, as always, you are welcome to attend! You can see the whole package for Monday's council meeting at this link:
Here are a few highlights:
Off-leash dog park
A delegation will be coming to council to talk about this -- there's no written information in the package yet.
Council's 2011 priorities
Every year, council identifies a few areas for special attention, above annd beyond the normal day-to-day operations of the town. You can see the draft write-up of these priorities starting on page 16 of the package -- you'll see such items as waste diversion, sustainable transportation, the land use bylaw, etc., along with comments about the steps proposed for 2011. Council will tweak the wording and vote on approving these priorities.
Commercial floor space administration
As we get ever closer to build-out (the point at which we hit our commercial development cap), it becomes more important to have an accurate inventory of existing space as a management tool. The Hotel-Motel Association has offered to cost-share 50-50 with the Town in order to create this accurate inventory. You can read all about it, starting on page 19 of the package.
Eco-kiosk for Town Hall
If you have trouble finding the right low-flow showerhead or compost bin liner, this proposed kiosk at Town Hall may be a help to you. The idea is to showcase and offer for sale environmentally friendly household products that are not easily available in Banff. You can read the proposal starting on page 37 of the package.
2011 Fees
As part of budget discussions, Council approved changes to some of the Town's fees. The report that starts on page 50 of this package details those changes and lays out the bylaw required to enact them.
Planning and Development Annual Report
Starting on page 67 of the package, you can see a colourful and engaging report about the 2010 activities of the Planning and Developmment team at the Town. This is an information briefing for council and for the community.
Finance Committee Scheduling and Topics
Since establishing a Finance Committee, council has been busy elsewhere with the election changeover and with the budget process. Now we're ready to begin a schedule of regular meetings, open to the public, to explore various aspects of the town's financial planning and policy. You can see the proposed schedule in the package, starting on page 81.
And Housing Corp, too!
On Monday, Council will also be meeting as the shareholder of the Banff Housing Corporation. You can see the package for this meeting at this link:
The most interesting part of the package starts on page 16. Council, acting as the shareholder of the BHC, had asked the BHC Board to provide an action plan of how they are and will be implementing the recommendations of last year's working group. The action plan is presented in this package. Many of you have talked to me about these recommendations, and I know you are anxious to see them go forward. I think you will be pleased to see how many are already in effect, and what is planned for the others.