An alternate approval process (AAP) has been launched to determine elector approval to fund the replacement of the Lund fire hall.
At the qathet Regional District board (qRD) meeting on Thursday, May 23, regional directors voted to initiate the process to determine the replacement of the Northside fire protection local service area loan authorization bylaw, which calls for borrowing of up to $753,153. The AAP will cost approximately $2,000 for public engagement, including mail out of elector response forms to registered property owners.
qathet Regional District has determined that the total number of electors eligible to participate in the AAP is 976.
The elector response form is written to register electors’ objection to the regional district entering into an agreement with the Municipal Finance Authority to borrow funds for the construction of a fire hall in Lund.
The AAP is one form of elector response that can be used for receiving elector input. It is a much less expensive method than a referendum. If 10 per cent, or 98 or more electors object to Bylaw 547, which received first three readings on March 25, 2019, the bylaw will not be able to proceed without having to go to referendum.
The deadline for receiving the elector response forms for the AAP is 4:30 pm on July 8, 2019.
According to information from the qRD website, the Lund fire hall is in need of replacement. The current fire hall, built in the 1970s, is undersized and the structure is in a state of advanced deterioration, according to the website.
Borrowing on the $753,153 is projected to be $51,940 per year, or $24.19 residential tax rate per $100,000 for taxpayers within Northside fire protection area.
If, after the deadline, the regional district corporate officer certifies that elector response forms have been signed by fewer than 10 per cent of the eligible electors in the Northside protection local service area, qRD may proceed with the borrowing agreement. If more than 10 per cent sign the elector response forms, qRD may not proceed with the borrowing agreement unless it receives elector approval through a voting procedure such as a referendum.
Copies of the elector response forms are available at the qRD office or online at the qRD website, which is powellriverrd.bc.ca.
Forms must be received at the qRD office by the deadline and may not be submitted by fax or email.
