Strategic Plan adopted
Council adopted the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, which will guide the municipality over the next four years.
The four priority areas are:
- Better Banff for Residents - Addressing Affordability and Livability in Banff
- Lead Climate Action - Nurturing a Model Environmental Community
- Moving Into the Future - Improving Sustainable Transportation
- Foster Connections - Building Relationships and Partnerships
These were developed in a series of workshops and Governance and Finance Committee meetings between July and October 2022. Council worked with administration and a third-party consultant to examine the previous 2019-2022 Strategic Plan as the starting point for determining the areas of priority for the next four years.
The Strategic Plan incorporates direction from the 10-year Community Plan, long-term master plans in specific topic/issue areas, and public input received during the development of the master plans, as well as formal and informal public input received from other public processes both during and post the 2021 election. Workshops examined new data, deeper research and insights, and Council considered expert input on a range of issues facing Banff. The new 10-year Community Plan is being developed in 2023 with extensive public consultation. After the Community Plan is finalized, Town Council will review their Strategic Plan to ensure alignment and make revisions based on any new findings from the Community Plan process.
Learn about the topics of focus for each of the four strategic priorities at https://banff.ca/strategicplan
Capital projects on track, on budget
Eighty-six percent of the Town of Banff’s capital projects are on or under budget, including the St. Julien Road refurbishment, which returned $1 million to reserves.
Council received an update on all 2022 capital projects taking place in town. Of the 66 projects, 70% are related to maintaining existing assets while 30% were for new assets.
Examples of major projects include St. Julien Road, which is now open, construction of housing on Banff Avenue – The Aster, and The Nancy Pauw Bridge, which opened this summer on time and on budget, and saw 3,400 average daily crossing in the first two weeks after opening.
The value of all capital projects in the Town of Banff is $39.2 million.
Energy Efficiency Program for homeowners in the works
Council gave first reading to a proposed Clean Energy Improvement Tax and set a public hearing for the first quarter of 2023. This is the first step in creating a program that will give property owners an option to reinvest in their property with energy efficiency measures that will save utility bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
This bylaw is required under the Municipal Government Act before the Town can develop and launch a Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP). A CEIP authorizes municipalities to loan funds to residential and commercial property owners for energy efficiency/renewable energy upgrades and recover the loan over time via payments on the owner’s property tax bill. Other municipalities have launched a similar program, including a residential CEIP in Devon, Leduc, and Rocky Mountain House and a commercial CEIP in Edmonton.