Public Input Policy

Banff Town Council is creating a Public Input Policy to guide the process of seeking input for consideration in making decisions on municipal matters. A public input policy would be beneficial to establish expectations residents would have about opportunities to have input on decisions that affect them.

The policy will indicate when public input processes can occur, what are methods of public engagement, and how input will be used in consideration with other factors.

The Draft 2025 Public Input Policy (PDF) is available for community feedback.

The Town of Banff values public input for the ideas, opinions and local knowledge used to make better Town decisions, and to foster relationships in the Banff community.

(Note on terminology: for the purposes of this topic, these terms are considered interchangeable: public participation, public engagement, consultation, opinion research, and public input. The key is that the process involves members of the public providing input on a decision of Town Council or members of Administration.)

Have your say on the Public Input Policy

The Town organized several activities to compile input on creating a Public Input Policy in a phased approach:

• Phase 1 – What should public input look like? Principles, themes, barriers
  • Public Input:
    • Resident Panel Meetings – November 2, 16, January 2023
    • Public Drop-in Session – November 22, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Town Hall, Council Chamber
      • Tell us how you want to be consulted on future municipal decisions in the Town of Banff. This drop-in session is open to everyone. Your input will join the feedback of the Resident Panel, which has been convened to provide an in-depth review of public input opportunities. All input at this meeting will be compiled and reviewed when developing the policy.
    • Special outreach to hard-to-reach people
  • 3 x Council workshops
  • 2 x Town staff workshops
  • Presentation of What We Heard document from Phase 1 and Draft Policy November 27, 2023

• Phase 2 – Draft Policy Review and analysis of 10 public input processes with principles from draft policy, Culminating in Council review and feedback, May 26, 2025.

• Phase 3 – Public feedback on the Draft 2025 Public Input Policy
  • Public Input
    • Online Survey - July 4 - 25 (link at bottom of page)
    • Public Feedback Drop-In Session
      • July 15, 2025
      • 12 - 5 p.m.
      • Banff Town Hall
    • Special outreach
    • Town staff review
  • Council - Draft Policy review and potential approval, August 2025

• Phase 4 – Continuous Improvement
  • Create procedures to direct staff on planning effective engagement, and create an inventory of engagement methods.
  • Review of tools (methods of engagement)
    • Include public feedback about the public input process used in each engagement project
  • Schedule policy review every 4 years

Resident Panel

A resident panel was created for Phase 1 on engagement. Banffites with different backgrounds and experiences were invited to provide advice over three pizza-lunch meetings. 19 residents volunteered their time to provide insights and suggestions on policy requirements.