Citizens from Halfmoon Bay to Port Mellon will vote June 25 in a recreation referendum.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District decided on Feb. 24 to hold a regional referendum, excluding only residents of Pender Harbour, Egmont and the islands.
The SCRD will need to work out the details of the referendum question during the next month. In essence, voters will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" on the question of borrowing approximately $20 million to build a swimming pool next to the Sechelt library and a community centre/arena at Brothers Park in Gibsons.
If the referendum passes, it will also provide regional funding for the operation of two old recreation facilities: the Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt and the Gibsons pool. Presently, the District of Sechelt alone pays for the costs of the arena. The West Howe Sound Facilities Commission, funded by Gibsons, West Howe Sound, Elphinstone and Roberts Creek, pays for operating the Gibsons pool.
The recreation issue has been contentious, with politicians from the Gibsons region often at odds with politicians representing Sechelt and its neighbours. But last Thursday's vote on the recreation referendum was unanimous.
Just before the SCRD board voted to hold the referendum, Gibsons mayor Barry Janyk asked the board to "cherish this moment."
"There's a lot of blood on this floor," commented Janyk. "This is the first universally positive thing I've heard about the recreation issue in a long time."
That feeling of accomplishment and optimism was shared around the board table, with directors offering praise to each other for putting aside their differences and to SCRD staff for "staying focused through all the angst."
Ed Steeves, director for the District of Sechelt, called this "a real major, monumental project."
John Marian, the director for Halfmoon Bay, said, "I think [the referendum] will pass and I think it will be really good for this community."
Rather than the traditional property tax based on assessed value, the SCRD plans to split the tax into two parts. Every property owner would pay the same flat parcel tax, estimated at $127. In addition, there would be an ad valorum tax of about $60 per $100,000 of the assessed value of the buildings and other improvements on the property.
Marian praised the tax scheme, which he said limits the costs to property owners whose land is vacant, absentee cottage owners and seniors who own a small house on property whose value has increased greatly over the years.
"For those people, it will literally help them to live in their houses," said Marian. "If people have large houses, that's a pretty good indication of ability to pay."
