A group of Cluculz Lake property owners have suspended their court action against the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako regarding the Vanderhoof pool referendum.
A notice of discontinuance was filed in the Prince George courthouse on March 28, but the group won't discuss the reasons behind their decision publicly until they hold a meeting on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Cluculz Lake community hall. Dick Martin, one of four people whose name was on the petition, said he wouldn't provide any more details before the meeting because he feels it's only right that the people who put up the money for the case be the first to hear it.
"Everyone will find out the pros and cons and what's going on at that meeting," he said.
The appeal claimed that a February vote in Area F of the regional district to authorize a tax increase to build and operate an aquatic centre in Vanderhoof wasn't conducted properly and led to some people being denied the opportunity to cast a ballot. Among the group's concerns were a lack on information for the paperwork requirements for seasonal property owners and the distance some people needed to travel to reach a polling station.
Martin said the rules governing municipal governments made it difficult for his group to build an ironclad case.
"With the government, even if they broke the rules, it's very, very hard to prove they did it intentionally," Martin said.
There was also a concern that the group could be on the hook for the regional district's legal bills if the referendum appeal was unsuccessful.
Martin and the other petitioners decided to wait two weeks after filing the motion to hold the meeting in part because of the Easter holiday and because they wanted to have all the issues clarified before presenting them to the larger group.
Among the topics on the agenda on Saturday will be the process of refunding the thousands of dollars that the group collected to fund its legal challenge, if refunds are required.
"If we hold the meeting and there are refunds to be given, there's a way for us to make sure everyone gets . . . exactly to the penny how much money they should get back," Martin said.
There was a certain cost to file the application and the group hasn't received its final legal bill yet, but Martin expects it to be reasonable.
The group had more than $10,000 in the bank at the time of its second organizing meeting in early March, but Martin wouldn't say how much money was raised during the entirety of the campaign. That information will also be made public at the meeting along with the name of the law firm the regional district retained.
Martin hinted that despite the motion of discontinuance, the group isn't giving up the fight, but declined to provide details on the next step.
"We do have other ways of dealing with this," he said.
For his part, Martin said he won't be spending any money in Vanderhoof and hopes other unhappy property owners will follow suit.
"They might have their pool, but I don't know how they're going to pay for it," he said.
