The District of Summerland council.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/District of Summerland
January 23, 2025 - 5:30 PM
The District of Summerland plans to borrow millions of dollars for road upgrades, but residents have a month to cast a vote to veto the plan.
The upgrades for Victoria Road South and Wharton Street upgrades are going through an alternative approval process which means the district has to get permission from residents in order to borrow the money needed for the roads.
The district would need to borrow a total of $6,058,550 which would be paid back over 25 years, costing residents $65 a year, $50 in property tax and roughly $15 in water fees.
The decision to go through the alternative approval process was made in the fall, but the final notice for residents went out Thursday, Jan. 23.
Councillor Adrienne Betts said Summerland, and most municipalities, rely on this kind of borrowing frequently to fund infrastructure.
“There's 20 years of borrowing already on the books that are mid cycle,” she said during a council meeting on Nov. 5. “It really does speak to how municipalities finance infrastructure. And that's not just simply Summerland, that's across the board. And so having an understanding about how communities actually finance their infrastructure is important knowledge for everybody.”
The upgrades include road reconstruction, sidewalk installation, stormwater upgrades, water service upgrades, park improvements and a multi-use pathway.
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The Victoria Road South project is estimated to cost $3.85 million. The district would borrow $2,693,470 and get the rest of the money through a $500,000 grant, parking reserves and $550,000 from the growing communities fund from the provincial government.
The Wharton Street upgrades project would be funded by a $3,365,080 loan.
At least 10 per cent of eligible voters, or 1,002, need to submit a copy of the elector response form opposing the projects in order to veto the loans and upgrades. Residents who don’t submit a form are considered in favour of the projects. The deadline to submit the elector response form is 5 p.m. on Feb. 25.
Councillor Janet Peake said it would benefit residents to break down how much of residents’ property tax goes towards repaying loans for projects like this one.
“People are always talking about 'why aren't you investing more?' We need more roads looked after. We've got old infrastructure, whether it's water or sewer mains, and so those discussions are out in the public domain."
Click here for more information, and for the elector response form.
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