Banff’s new town council was sworn in on Monday, October 28. Former mayor John Stutz officiated the ceremony where the mayor-elect and councillors-elect took their oath of office.
Following the ceremony, council held their annual organizational meeting. They approved a schedule that would see each councillor sharing the duties of deputy mayor and acting mayor over the 2013-2017 term of office. The deputy acts as mayor whenever the mayor is unable to perform the duties of office. The acting mayor acts as mayor when both the mayor and deputy are unavailable. The deputy/acting mayor schedule was determined by incumbency and number of votes councillors received in the October 21 election. The incumbent with the most votes leads the rotation followed by all the other incumbents in descending order, followed by the first-term councillor with the most votes and so on. The schedule ensures new councillors have adequate experience on council before being called on to act as the mayor.
Council set their 2013/2014 regular meeting dates, maintaining the traditional schedule of meeting on the second and fourth Monday of the month at 2 p.m., except in July and August, where only one meeting is scheduled during those months. Should a statutory holiday fall on a Monday, council will meet on the Tuesday.
Meeting times for the upcoming service review and budget discussions were also set. Budget talks will begin Monday, January 13, 2014 at 9 a.m.
Members of the public and Parks Canada staff were appointed to various town committees and boards. Councillors were also appointed to town committees and outside boards. A full list of the council appointments is available in the agenda.