Alas, my computer is down with a virus (great timing!) and my council update mailing list is down with it.  So I'm unable to do an email update this week.  I will admit that I've also been a little busy on my council laptop, answering emails from Middle Springs homeowners and a sprinkling of other folks about the Banff Housing Corporation recommendations.

Key items  coming to council this week include the taxi plates question (should we release more, and to whom?), a petition on the BHC recommendations from Middle Springs and Riverview Court homeowners, and a request to confirm the Peyto Pit as the future location for town composting activities. 

I will hope to be back in business by later in the week, and able to send an update to my email list. 

Hello everyone:

Welcome back to the deep freeze!  Just imagine all those mountain pine beetles feeling cold and unhappy -- it makes these frosty mornings worthwhile.

Before I tell you about tomorrow's Council highlights, I just want to invite you to participate in or be a spectator at the annual Jon Whyte Memorial Spelling Bee and Trivia Challenge, taking place at the Whyte Museum this Tuesday (January 27) from 7 - 9 pm.  Put together a team of six keeners and call Tanya Bouchard at the Museum to register, or just come along on the night and pit your wits against the questions while sitting in the audience.  It's fun, and a great way to remember the poet laureate of Banff.

TOMORROW AT COUNCIL

Recreation Centre update

You can see the whole report by clicking on:

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1843

and scrolling down to page 21.

I am really pleased with the track that this project is now on.  If the environmental assessment comes out OK, the town will be going ahead with the refurbishing of the existing arena (which has been certified as structurally sound and worth saving), and replacing the 4 curling sheets, lobby and dressing rooms with new construction.  The possibility exists to include a second hockey rink within the project, depending on funding.  Staff have been working very hard on funding applications for this project, and continue to do so, with the result that borrowing will be kept to the lowest possible level.  The building is being planned so that it could be added to in future, if townspeople want the additional facilities (gymnasium, leisure pool etc.) and can afford to build and operate them.

FCSS Strategic Plan update

If you click on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1843

and then scroll down to page 30, you can see the outcomes that Banff Family and Community Support Services is working towards, and what programs they have in place to meet those outcomes.  It's an impressive list!  Reading it will give you an idea of the wide range of programs available, and you may be able to pass that information on to someone who needs help.

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.

Hello everyone:

Yes, I know it's only been a week since the last email, but Council meets on December 15, so I want to let you know what's coming to the table.  After that, there won't be another meeting until January 12, so you won't hear from me for a month (is that a faint cheer I'm hearing?).  In the meantime, let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for your encouragement and feedback throughout 2008, and to wish you and your families the very best for a Merry Christmas and health and happiness in the new year!

BUDGET

The operating and capital budgets will come to council on Monday for a final vote.  As you will have seen in the paper, the operating budget shows a 0.03% overall tax increase - so close to zero that I think we can call it that.  As I've mentioned before, this has been done through line-by-line examination, but the most substantial cut in taxes has been enabled by freezing the wages of Town staff.  I cannot say enough about the gracious attitude that has been exhibited by almost every member of town staff.  No one is happy about the wage freeze, of course, and the liaison committee asked for reconsideration (as they have a duty to do in their role as staff representatives) but throughout the discussion, staff comments have been respectful and understanding.

Obviously, zero tax increases are not something to be expected in a normal year.  Costs have gone up for many of the materials, supplies and services that the town needs, and normally it would be reasonable to reflect that.  All indications are, however, that this is not a normal year.  I believe that council and staff have worked hard to create a budget that prepares us for what may be ahead.

Just a bit of clarity about the money for the urban forest plan:  contrary to what was reported in the Crag, we did not take this money from the capital budget, and we did not act in opposition to our auditors' advice.  In actual fact, we paid for the tree plan out of the operating budget, in keeping with what the auditors said was proper.  We balanced it by diminishing the amount of operating money that we will transfer to capital reserves in 2009 by $200,000.  This was a very easy mistake for the Crag to make, because the discussion was long and complex.  I hope to see a correction in next week's paper.

I'm a strong believer in transferring money to capital reserves, and normally I would not approve of doing anything that would diminish that transfer.  However, because the tree program is both important and urgent, and because our urban forest is a key part of our green infrastructure (see my blog entry of September 30, 2007   ), I felt it was justified in this case.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Council and staff have been working together on the idea of a "code of conduct" - information that could be shared with short-term residents, visitors, and long-term Banffites about how we as a community can best live together.  We wanted to talk about things like late-night noise, littering, poop-scooping, etc., but do it in a positive, "let's all get along" kind of way.  You can see the report coming to council by clicking on this link

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1807

and scrolling down to pages 17 to 26.  As you'll see, lots of groups have been consulted, lots of work has gone into the draft, and there's a plan for how to roll this information out to different audiences.  I hope all of you will take every opportunity to get these messages out to new Banffites and visitors that you encounter.

BYLAW WORKLOAD AND PRIORITIES

For those of you interested in knowing how our community standards are enforced, there is a very interesting report coming to council.  Click on

http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1807

and scroll down to page 36.  You'll see information on bylaw responsibilities, staffing, and their strategic priorities for 2009.  I really like their interest in consistency, public connection/communication, and proactive enforcement.

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

A document to set up the Regional Transportation Authority is coming for council approval, along with our part of a grant application for up to $150,000.  The authority would be a formal partnership among the towns of Banff and Canmore and the ID#9, along with significant effort and contribution from the Hotel Motel Association and Ski Banff-Lake Louise.  There is so much opportunity here to create a transportation network that will serve visitors and residents, and each of these steps through the paperwork takes us a little closer.

THE FINE PRINT

As always, this message represents only my own point of view, and does not pretend to reflect the official positions of the Town of Banff or Town Council.

What a lovely snowfall today -- so nice to see the Town snow-covered, with the prospect of a great ski season and a beautiful holiday season ahead!

What's coming to Council tomorrow?

Council has a briefing on the bio-solids project before the Council meeting, and a budget meeting after the Council meeting, but the actual regular meeting agenda is quite short.  You can see the package here:  http://www.banff.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=1796

We'll be looking at a revised version of the Animal Control Bylaw.  Besides tidying up the formatting, the most significant change is a move away from specific regulations about particular breeds -- pit bulls, to be exact.  Bylaw Services are recommending that we concentrate on the behaviour of dogs, rather than what breed they are, and have provided some compelling background information to go with this recommendation.  I have to say that I agree with them - I've met some delightful, sociable pit bulls, and some cranky Lab crosses.

Council will also be reviewing a whole range of fees -- we do this annually, and try to keep the fees in line with inflation and with the cost of providing service.

What's happening with the budget?

Council is tentatively finished with the operating budget, and it looks like a zero percent tax increase.  I found myself in the unusual position of arguing for a bit more spending on items such as the transfer to capital, but I feel that the final budget represents council and staff's best effort to do the right thing in difficult economic times.  I feel that everyone did their homework and brought their ideas to the table.

Tomorrow we will go through the capital budget -- the intention is to try to finish budget tomorrow evening.  We're working through dinner, and there was some talk of "until midnight, if that's what it takes!"

An opportunity for input

A lot of you have expressed interest in the town's new directional signage.  On Thursday, December 11, from 3 - 5 pm, there will be an open house in Council Chambers at Town Hall.  You can take a look at the proposed sign locations and provide your feedback.  I know that this is an awfully busy time of year, but do try to drop in.  If you have any questions in advance of the meeting, you can contact Elizabeth at 403-762-1221. 

The fine print

As always, this blog represents my own opinion, and does not in any way represent the position of Council or of the Town of Banff.