McBride and area residents will be asked to say 'yes' to a new line on their property tax bills.
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George directors have approved going ahead with a referendum for McBride and Area H voters OK'ing charging them for the purchase of a new building for the McBride and District Public Library and Valley Museum and Archives.
The projected cost for the building and related expenses is $688,230, and the library and museum have already fundraised and received grants totaling $47,700.
If approved, residents would pay $27.47 per $100,000 of assessed value and businesses would be charged $67.30 per $100,000 of assessed value on their tax bills.
The proposed service area includes all properties in Area H east of Small River and the village of McBride - an estimated 988 dwellings.
A feasibility study was commissioned in the summer to look at granting a long-standing request from the library and museum for more space.
"To say 'we are cramped,' is an an understatement," said a letter to the board from Joel Zahn, chair of the committee behind the project.
"In regard to the library, we utilize every available space in order to provide the programs we offer, sometimes infringing on patrons or each other's dedicated areas."
Ventilation, drainage and insulation problems are also concerns, wrote Zahn about the aging buildings. The main section of the library was built in 1967.
The subsequent report explored three options: renovating the existing library and annex, building a new facility on vacant lots owned by the museum, or buying a new building.
The latter option, purchasing the 521 Main St. property, was selected as the most cost-effective, providing 7,000 square feet of space.
A vote will be held within 80 days of the board receiving approval from the province of the proposed tax-setting bylaw.
