It was a unanimous vote that paves the way for a new city hall in West Kelowna.
City council voted on Tuesday in favour of a bylaw that allows it to borrow up to $11 million for the project.
“We are going to come back to the community over the next little while . . . we are going to engage them and consult with them on what the design looks and where it’s going and all that,” said Paul Gipps, chief administrative officer for the City of West Kelowna.
Gipps told Global News that by 2022, there will also be an additional $7 million in reserves for the project, meaning the city will have up to $18 million to work with.
Since incorporation in late 2007, city hall has been operating out of makeshift spaces, including the former community centre next to Royal LePage Place.
But getting a permanent city hall in West Kelowna hasn’t been easy
In March 2016, a petition against the project forced a referendum on the issue, which eventually failed by 27 votes.
“There was a 27-vote margin,” Gipps said. “If 14 people had changed their mind, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
This time around, the city wasn’t required to get public approval to borrow money because its’ current debt load is below 5 per cent of its annual income.
But that could change next month, when the city deals with financing for the community’s new water treatment plant.
“Depending on how council decides on how to move forward with that payment and final cost, then yes, we would be beyond the five per cent, so this is one opportunity that we have,” Gipps said.
The city is assuring residents that property taxes will not be impacted by the city hall construction project.
While no site has yet been identified, the city will be exploring several locations for a new city hall, including the business district in the city’s downtown, as well the Boucherie commercial corridor along Highway 97 between Bartley and Westlake Roads.
Gipps said council has also instructed staff to look at a number of other city-owned parcels of land.
While the project is in the early stages, the city hopes to move forward with plans in the coming months with the goal of having the bulk of it done by the end of this election term, which is October 2022.
“Certainly they would like to see shovels in the ground, much more than that, by the end of their term,” Gipps said.