Town of Banff

Public Input

What Happens to Your Feedback?

Do you ever wonder what happens to your comments after you fill out a survey or show up at a public hearing? Do you ignore surveys and public hearings because you think you can’t make a difference? 

It’s Council’s job to vote on behalf of residents, so you can be sure they pay attention to what you have to say.  So speak up!  Here are some common tools Council depends on to find out what you are thinking. 

Contact with individual councillors

Residents often call, email, or just run into councillors on the street and let them know how they feel about things.  Councillors generally gather a great deal of public input this way.  It gives them a sense of how the community feels about any number of subjects.  It may also influence how a councillor votes on a particular issue, particularly if many people have expressed similar opinions.

Surveys

Sometimes the Town will make surveys available to help residents share their opinions.  Surveys are usually anonymous.  They may be posted on the website, distributed during open houses, dropped in mailboxes, and/or targeted to specific stakeholders.  Council receives a summary and analysis of survey results, as well as copies of individual responses.  Council will typically use these results to see what the majority of people are in favour of, and what the most common concerns are with a particular course of action. 

Public hearings

Public hearings are formal hearings that must follow rules set out by provincial and local legislation.  Comments may be submitted in writing or verbally during the hearing, and Council can ask questions of the people who are present.  Anyone may speak during a public hearing.

Once a public hearing has been adjourned, Council may not consider any further public input.  This does not mean that individual councillors cannot keep gathering input. It means that any comments received after the hearing cannot be formally recognized by Council or become part of the public record. 

Council relies heavily on input received at public hearings to help them make decisions on behalf of the community.

Individual presentations at council meetings

People sometimes appear as a delegation before council or send a letter to be considered at a council meeting.  Often these presentations are requests for funding, or requests for a Town action not already included in the budget.  Council has some discretionary dollars available in their “council initiatives” fund, however often these requests need to be delayed until the budget is debated late in the year.  There are also situations where Council may not be sure if the issue is important to the community in general, so they may ask Town staff to gather more information.  Other times, though, Council is able to approve a request immediately, particularly if the request fits in with their strategic priorities, or if it can be accommodated in the current budget. 

See our Tips for a Successful Presentation to learn more about making the most of your audience with Council.