City Council Agrees To Accept Grant For River Road Dike
The dike will be built adjacent to River Road on the north side (left side of photo)
Prince George, BC – By a vote of 6-to-1, City Council has agreed to move forward with an $11.5-million dollar flood mitigation project that will see a dike built alongside River Road.
Council has voted in favour of accepting $5.4-million dollars in federal-provincial funding towards building a 3.3-kilometre dike alongside River Road. Of the remaining $6.1-million dollars, City staff is proposing $2.5-million dollars come from the Land Development Reserve fund, and $3.6-million be borrowed from the Municipal Finance Authority.
Council must now seek public approval to borrow the money, either through a referendum or the Alternate Approval Process (also known as a ‘reverse petition’, where 10-percent of eligible voters must submit a form to City Hall, saying they oppose the project.)
A report outlining the two options – and the timelines and costs associated with each – will be presented to Council at its next regular meeting, February 20th, in hopes of keeping to a tight timeline that could see construction start by this fall. (Once Council decides which route to go, Councillors must then give three readings to a loan authorization bylaw, the bylaw must be approved by the Inspector of Municipalities, then it comes back to the electorate for either a referendum or AAP.)
The proposed term of the loan would be 20-years and the debt-servicing costs, which would start in 2014, would be $280-thousand dollars per year.
While he supported the Council Priorities document last month that re-affirmed a commitment to flood mitigation work, Councillor Brian Skakun says he can’t support this project.
Skakun says business and residents chose to locate in that area. "I think we also have a responsibility to provide services to the rest of the community and for us to take on a debt-servicing cost of almost $300-thousand dollars a year when we just laid off people and reduced some of our services, in my opinion, is going to cause further grief, because come budget next year the taxes are going to go up at least one-half-a-percent for every year to pay for this."
"I appreciate all the work staff has done," says Skakun. "I mean I’ve sat in these chambers for a number of years and we’ve talked about dredging, we’ve talked about a number of issues, but, in my opinion, you know this isn’t right. It’s not free money, because we have grant money from senior governments doesn’t mean it’s free – there’s a cost to the community."
Councillor Frank Everitt says faced with the loss of employment and damage to businesses and homes during the 2007 ice jam and flooding, the Council of the day put the wheels in motion to do something about by applying for the grant. "So I don’t think now is the time to get cold feet in the exercise, I think we should be proactive and continue and do the things that are right for the application that we put in place, so that we can continue to be proactive for the citizens."
Councillors Everitt, Garth Frizzell, Lyn Hall, Albert Koehler, Cameron Stolz, and Mayor Shari Green (via an electronic link) voted in favour, Councillor Skakun was opposed, and Councillors Murry Krause and Dave Wilbur were absent.
Comments
It appears as if most of our city council do not understand what a colossal waste of money this will be.
metalman.
Yes they do, but they probably have friends in the construction trades who could use the work.
Lets applaud Brian for having the level head to vote against this stupid project. It is unbelievable the ideas that come from administration to make work for them.
Cheers
Again I will repeat. Skakun seems to vote when it will make no difference to the outcome, except to make his appearance to the voter look good. If he felt so much against the raise for councillors I am sure he could have refused his or donated it to a worthy cause instead of his bank account. But voting against something you know is going to be carried is a no brainer. He also voted against the Haldi road center at the same time soliciting them for campaign donations. Did he ask the proponents of the center for donations?
I wish we have more like Brian on council instead of a follow the herd mentality.
AAP process here we come. Another tax increase to fit in with the city heating project. Council just can not turn down funds no matter what the end result or cost to the taxpayer is.
Seeing as there are two sides of everything, would it be too early to talk to the Feds about the other side of the river?
Good point Harbinger. Building a dike or dam on one side of the river will only ‘force’ the water to the other side of the river.
No matter what type of dike or dam is built, I agree that people who ‘chose’ to live or build their business in this flood plain are the ones who should be paying for any flood protection. If there is funding available, good for those who are seeking the protection as it will lessen their financial obligation.
I also agree with ‘But’ on his comments about Brian. He (Brian) seems to try and garner public acceptance by taking a stand when his vote will have no impact on the outcome. All I ask of any council members it do what’s ‘RIGHT’. Leave your personal agendas and beliefs at the door and represent the community at large.
Brian’s comments about this project costing the taxpayers money when the city has laid off workers is hogwash. If the people laid off were redundant/expendable or being paid to do nothing (I am assuming), then the argument he puts forward is moot.
City Council, please put your collective heads together and do what is RIGHT for the city of Prince George. Thank you.
Good point Harbinger. Building a dike or dam on one side of the river will only ‘force’ the water to the other side of the river.
No matter what type of dike or dam is built, I agree that people who ‘chose’ to live or build their business in this flood plain are the ones who should be paying for any flood protection. If there is funding available, good for those who are seeking the protection as it will lessen their financial obligation.
I also agree with ‘But’ on his comments about Brian. He (Brian) seems to try and garner public acceptance by taking a stand when his vote will have no impact on the outcome. All I ask of any council members it do what’s ‘RIGHT’. Leave your personal agendas and beliefs at the door and represent the community at large.
Brian’s comments about this project costing the taxpayers money when the city has laid off workers is hogwash. If the people laid off were redundant/expendable or being paid to do nothing (I am assuming), then the argument he puts forward is moot.
City Council, please put your collective heads together and do what is RIGHT for the city of Prince George. Thank you.
At least its a “grant” and not taxpayers money!
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