Borrowing $2 million to tear down the old Beaver Valley Middle School is what’s behind the recently advertised Alternative Approval Process (AAP) put forth by Fruitvale council.
To be repaid over a period not to exceed 30 years by Fruitvale taxpayers, the village says this loan will result in an estimated tax increase for the average residential property of $165 per year for decades to come.
That, however, is worst-case scenario, according to Fruitvale Mayor Steve Morissette.
“We have an estimate of $1.2 million to demolish the compromised half of the school,” Morissette told the Trail Times.
If the village can secure a formal bid for around $1.2 million, Morissette said it will cost taxpayers $100 annually or $8.50/month for 30 years.
After reading backlash to the AAP on social media, the Times asked Morissette why council chose to use this process and why the loan is needed now.
“For the past eight years we have applied for every type of grant and/or funding stream available to no avail as we have learned there are no organizations that fund demolition,” he replied.
“If the AAP passes, demolition would start this fall,” Morissette added.
“If it doesn’t pass we will listen to the people and try as best we can to continue to secure the school and search for other options for remediation of the school.”
To clarify, an AAP is a form of approval that allows electors to indicate whether they are against a local government proposal moving forward, such as borrowing money.
What’s required is two notices of intent published in the nearest local newspaper outlining, for example, the municipality’s intent to adopt a loan authorization bylaw.
To quash the process, 10 per cent of eligible electors — in this case 10 per cent of the 1,611 eligible electors in the Village of Fruitvale — have at least 30 days from the publication of the second notice of the AAP to submit elector response forms to the municipal corporate officer.
“We chose the AAP route as council has been backed into a corner by the collapse of the gym roof on the school last winter, we had hoped for no such structural disasters,” Morissette explained.
“With the collapse and the resultant compromised back half of the school, the school is now a serious liability.”
Morissette says the village has rented security fencing at a cost of $13,700 annually to keep people out, though there have still been break-ins, which are concerning because of the peril an unstable structure poses.
Moreover, granting streams do not award money for tearing structures down, only for building them up.
After the alternative approval process deadline of Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. has passed, the municipal corporate officer must determine and certify whether the valid elector response forms submitted have met or exceeded the 10 percent threshold established for the process. This determination is final and conclusive.
According to Elections BC, the estimated eligible voters in the Village of Fruitvale was 1,611, for the 2022 municipal election, though only 420 ballots were cast that year.
Only electors of the Village of Fruitvale are eligible to sign the elector response forms as the loan burden falls squarely on Fruitvale taxpayers.
There are two types of electors – resident electors and non-resident property electors.
Resident Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a resident elector must be 18 years of age or older; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; live in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.
Non-resident Property Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a non-resident property elector must: be at least 18 years of age; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; have owned property in the jurisdiction (e.g., municipality or electoral area) for at least 30 days; own property in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.
