Nanaimo council votes to proceed with second AAP for Operations Centre

Lawyer Sandy Bartlett speaks to Nanaimo City Council about the Alternative Approval Process to authorize a $48.5 million loan to build the first phase of a new public works yard on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. Photo: Mick Sweetman / CHLY 101.7FM

Listen to CHLY’s full audio report:

Nanaimo city council voted 7-2 to redo an Alternative Approval Process to take out a $48.5 million loan for a new public works yard in Nanaimo after the previous one run in November was found to have been done without giving proper notice.

Councillor Sheryl Armstrong says that if voters reject the proposal to take out a loan it will mean a steep property tax increase this year. City staff pegged the initial tax increase at 3.6 per cent in 2024, which would mean a 11.6 per cent overall increase to the city’s portion of property taxes.

Voters will be able to submit a form in opposition to the Nanaimo Operations Centre loan between Jan. 18 and Feb. 20. A minimum of 7,889 forms in opposition to the loan is required to defeat the proposal.

If the proposal fails, city council would have to hold a referendum to take out the loan.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.