Three loans worth a collective $11.369 million were given final approval by Prince George city council at its Monday, May 26 meeting after not enough residents expressed opposition to trigger a referendum under the alternative approval process.
Council passed final reading for bylaws borrowing $5.489 million for various equipment purchases, $3.26 million to replace the Civic Centre’s building automation and air conditioning systems and $2.26 million to replace parts of the city’s stormwater system.
Together, the loans are expected to cost the city $1,078,129 in annual debt servicing payments.
As the loans are to be paid back over more than five years, the city was required under provincial law to get approval from the public either through a referendum or the alternative approval process.
Back in February, council decided on the latter approach, meaning that eligible voters in the city had the option of submitting forms stating their opposition to the borrowing. If 10 per cent or more of residents had voiced objections this way, council couldn’t have moved forward without holding a referendum.
According to documents attached to the meeting agenda, there are 56,291 eligible voters in the city, meaning that 5,629 people had to voice their opposition to force a referendum.
However, the number of people who ended up objecting to the loans by the 5 p.m. deadline on May 20 was far below that threshold.
For the first loan, borrowing $5.489 million for mobile equipment, janitorial equipment, fire hoses, a hoist system, a tractor with flail mower and arborist equipment, just 22 people were opposed.
The second loan was worth $3.26 million and is for the replacement of the Civic Centre’s building automation system and air conditioner. A total of 20 people voiced opposition to this loan.
The third and final loan was for $2.26 million to replace stormwater system assets like drainage ponds, storm mains, culverts, manholes and more. It received the fewest number of objections with 14.
The motion accepting the report on the alternative approval process was approved with only Coun. Trudy Klassen voting in opposition.
Klassen was also the only councillor to vote against fourth and final reading of the three individual borrowing bylaws.
