$12K for city to stage AAP

The City of Kamloops says it spent an estimated $12,000 to run the alternative approval process seeking voter support to borrow money for Build Kamloops projects — much less than previously estimated.

Earlier this summer, city staff said an AAP would likely cost about $20,000. At that time, the city said a referendum, which is the other method municipalities can use to gauge voter support for long-term borrowing, would have cost about $200,000.

Maria Mazzotta, corporate officer for the City of Kamloops, said the $12,000 tally factored in staff time, including some overtime work needed to carry out the process, as well as the money needed for the elector response forms themselves.

"There were costs associated with actually printing and producing the forms themselves," she said.

Voters were given more than 30 days to submit forms to city hall if they opposed borrowing up to $140 million for a performing arts centre and up to $135 million for an arena multiplex and future recreation facility design work.

Thousands of forms were submitted, but the total number of forms received fell far short of the threshold needed to reject either borrowing proposal and force a referendum.

The City of Kamloops announced the results of the AAP last week.

Mazzotta said the next steps for staff include submitting some follow-up documentation to the B.C. government in accordance with the province’s timelines. She said the AAP forms submitted to city hall will be held for safekeeping — not indefinitely, but in accordance with record-keeping practices.