Voters who want to voice their opposition to any of the 11 projects for which the city is seeking consent to pass borrowing bylaws will have to wait.
The starting date for the alternative approval process is expected to be April 18, the city said in a statement issued Friday, although that remains pending approval from the B.C. inspector of municipalities and then publication of a public notice.
Since city council gave first three readings to the bylaws for $32.2 million worth of capital projects, some residents have contacted the city about submitting elector response forms, the city said.
Should the process begin on April 18 as expected, voters will have until May 30 to submit elector response forms expressing their objections to the projects.
If at least 10 per cent of the electorate, estimated at 5,546 responses, submit forms for a specific project, council will be forced to either scrap the related borrowing bylaw or take it to a full-blown referendum in which approval from 50 per cent plus one of those who vote will be required to advance the bylaw to final reading.
The city has created a web page, www.princegeorge.ca/AAP, to provide residents with information on the process, including key dates and other details. A link to the page is included on the city homepage at www.princegeorge.ca.
The AAP web page will be updated on April 18 to include information on how to obtain elector response forms, together with detailed instructions regarding how to properly complete the forms.
