Banff’s busy planning and development department is getting extra help this year.
Despite attempts to take it out, an additional $80,000 for a staffing position to help the department with long-term strategic planning is in the final 2018 operating budget, which has passed with a 5.34 per cent tax increase.
Development in the Banff townsite is at a 20-year high, leaving planning staff struggling to keep up with the growing number of development and building permits with no time for critical long-term strategic planning.
During earlier budget discussions, Councillor Corrie DiManno proposed additional dollars for a staffing position, noting the rate of commercial and residential development is expected to continue for the next 12 to 18 months.
She said the idea is that staff can start to work long-range strategic planning, including the Banff National Park Management Plan and Banff Community Plan, while also making sure there aren’t longer wait times for development related applications.
“We’ve heard the past couple of years the planning and development department is absolutely slammed and they’ve been suffering in silence,” said DiManno.
“This $80,000 was to help them work on some of the long-range planning that has been a victim of all of the development that’s been happening.”
After more than 45 hours of public budget discussions and debate over the past two months, council passed its $40.9 million operating budget on Monday (Jan. 15) with a tax increase of 5.34 per cent.
This equates to an overall yearly increase of $130 on an average residential dwelling assessed at $419,700 – or about $11 a month.
As he tried to trim what he considered discretionary spending in the budget, Coun. Peter Poole spoke against the $80,000 for the planning position, instead preferring to see other options considered.
“I would like to encourage planning and department to reallocate its resources in such a manner as to slow down some projects so that the senior planner can be involved in long-range strategic planning,” he said at a budget meeting Jan. 8.
Some of the work on the planners’ plate is work on upcoming reviews of the community and park management plans, plus a long list of policy and regulatory work, including a bed and breakfast home review and cannabis legislation.
Randall McKay, director of planning and development, said the department has been extremely busy with development activity, noting the nature of growth and development in Banff continues to evolve overtime as commercial buildout approaches.
“Those who have been on council in previous terms, we’ve expressed we have cumulative impacts of years and years of challenging work with limited resources,” he said.
Coun. Chip Olver spoke in favour of the $80,000 in the budget, noting that last year alone staff dedicated more than 300 hours to working on appeals, which put staff behind on dealing with other projects.
“I commend us that we’re doing this on a one-year basis rather than a continuing basis,” she said. “I think we really do need to get some of the things that have been on the list done.”
Banff approved the most development permit applications last year since 1997, at 103 compared to 107. The number was up 18 per cent over 2016 and more than double of 2013. Building permits were also up – the most since 2001 with 85 approved permits versus 87.
