BANFF – Town of Banff’s administrators are pitching a change in council meeting days from Mondays to Tuesdays, beginning in 2025.
Banff council has met historically on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 2 p.m., except when Monday statutory holidays push the meeting to the Tuesday.
Following administration’s suggestion to bring back a report with a draft schedule for Tuesday meetings in 2025, council agreed to at least have the discussion when all of council is at the table, noting Couns. Chip Olver and Ted Christensen were absent from the Oct. 23 annual organizational meeting.
Mayor Corrie DiManno said she is happy with the Monday meetings for council and the governance and finance committee, noting a future council could consider it if wanted.
“I am open to looking at it, but I don’t know if am there yet,” said the mayor.
“I am a creature of habit. I’ve been doing Mondays for 10 years. I don’t know if I can change, but I am open to hearing what others have to say at that point in time.”
Currently, Airdrie, Okotoks, High River, Cochrane, Red Deer and Banff meet on Mondays while Canmore, Calgary, Lethbridge, Chestermere, Jasper and MD of Bighorn meet on Tuesdays.
Libbey McDougall, municipal clerk for the Town of Banff, said some Alberta municipalities have decided to change council meeting days from Mondays to Tuesdays in recent years.
“This was done to allow the public additional time to review agenda materials and provide submissions to council,” she said.
Banff’s procedures bylaw allows members of the public to provide written material for consideration at a council or committee meeting, or to request to participate remotely. However, the deadline for doing so is no later than noon on the business day prior to the meeting – meaning Friday given the Monday meetings.
McDougall said Tuesday council meetings would give councillors more time to review the agenda and seek clarification from administration during standard Monday to Friday work hours.
She said it would also give the public the entire weekend to review agenda materials and decide if they want to submit a response or participate remotely.
“In theory, they lose those two weekend days in which to review the agenda and formulate a response,” she said.
Currently, late submissions that come in over the weekend or on the Monday morning do make it onto the agenda with council approval.
“We at the clerk's office do try to circulate those to council prior to the meetings, but sometimes it is very, very close before your meeting,” said McDougall.
DiManno said she believes many of the issues have already been addressed by releasing the agenda a week ahead of the scheduled meetings, compared to when it was released on Wednesdays
“I think it’s part of the human condition that if you give people a deadline they’re always going to go over it,” she said.
