Financing for a water treatment plant is a go, the City of West Kelowna announced on Wednesday.
This summer, the city said it was seeking to borrow $23.5 million to pay for the under-construction Rose Valley water treatment plant, but that it needed public consent to do so.
Instead of holding a public vote or a referendum, the city instead opted to use a petition-against option, which places the onus on naysayers.
And at a council meeting on Tuesday, the city said just 229 of 8,267 property owners submitted petitions against borrowing, far below the 50 per cent threshold.
Following the results, council members then adopted two bylaws, including a loan authorization bylaw.
The plant is estimated to cost $75 million, with $51.5 million having already been procured.
The facility will eventually serve 18,000 people in the Lakeview, West Kelowna, Pritchard and Sunnyside water systems.
Now, with voters seemingly saying yes by not voting against it prior to the Oct. 2 deadline, those who plan on drawing water from the treatment plant will soon be hit with a tax bill.
“This means along with the service area established, future plant users will have the option to use long-term borrowing or pay a lump sum of $2,815 in 2022,” the city said in a press release.
The city said the increase to Rose Valley water treatment plant users will be $34, plus the $116 per year that property owners currently pay today.
It also said the $150 will remain the same during the 25-year borrowing period, but that in 2022, the $150 will be shifted from water bills onto a parcel tax, which allows some residents to defer their taxes.
The city noted that this does not affect the Powers Creek or Westbank First Nation service areas.