Skip to content

Banff council says no to full-time cemetery position ahead of budget

“We’ve asked administration to come back with some cuts so it seems contrary to go ahead and support this at this time… maybe one day.”
39-banff-heritage-sites-0002
The Old Banff Cemetery. RMO FILE PHOTO

BANFF – Banff town council was quick to bury a pitch from administration for a new full-time cemetery coordinator.

Earlier this month, the governance and finance committee decided against referring the request to budget discussions, wanting to try to hold the line on taxes for residents and businesses in 2025.

“I have a struggle of balancing appreciation for the work that needs to be done and certainly I appreciate the importance of it, but I am also trying to balance our effort to not just not increase the budget going forward but to decrease it to an extent,” said Coun. Barb Pelham.

“We’ve asked administration to come back with some cuts so it seems contrary to go ahead and support this at this time … maybe one day.”

In July, council gave direction that administration only bring forward new initiatives to service review that come with funding from the $4.66 million Housing Accelerator Fund, reserves, grants or with associated revenues, not including transit services or emergent needs.

Administration was also asked to come up with options to cut the budget to get the municipal tax increase down to six per cent from a projected eight per cent increase. Snow clearing, public events, community programming, traffic management, emergency management and transit services were to be maintained.

Agustina Rocha-Jaje, municipal parks manager for the Town of Banff, put forward the merits of transitioning a two-year term position approved by council in 2023 into a permanent role for the cemetery coordinator.

She said it is not merely a matter of staffing but is essential to maintain momentum in cemetery management and ensure ongoing improvements in service delivery, noting the position has improved response time to inquiries and improved systems, communication, and tracking of paperwork.

“Non-time sensitive inquiries were put on hold prior to this position, and now they can be taken care of in a timely manner,” she said.

“Families expect timely responses and organized management of their inquiries, which a dedicated, permanent full-time employee can provide.”

Initially, council approved a two-year term cemetery coordinator position to help with digitizing cemetery records for the Old Banff Cemetery and Mountain View Cemetery and to also aid the municipal parks manager in overseeing cemetery operations.

To date, three different employees have been hired to fulfill this position over the two-year term.

Rocha-Jaje said the sensitive nature of dealing with bereaved families, adhering to legal requirements, and managing burial logistics should not be viewed as secondary tasks.

She said these responsibilities demand immediate action – whether it is coordinating with families, managing cemetery records, or ensuring burials are completed without error.

“Additionally, a focus on continuous improvement and cemetery upkeep ensures that families and visitors encounter well-maintained, safe, dignified spaces, and reduce the potential for complaints, accidents and liability,” she said.

Couns. Chip Olver and Hugh Pettigrew were the only councillors who voted to consider the cemetery position at service review deliberations. Couns. Ted Christensen and Grant Canning were absent from the meeting.

“I think the tasks in this role are bigger than we originally understood,” Olver said.

“Supporting it to come to service review does not mean getting support at service review; it means it can be considered in the entirely of the budget, not as an isolated request.”

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks