Borrowing bylaws adopted

Kamloops city council adopted two loan authorization bylaws allowing the municipality to move ahead with building a performing arts centre and an arena multiplex.

The bylaws state council is authorized to undertake the design and construction of the performing arts centre and the multiplex, including borrowing up to a total of $275 million for the Build Kamloops projects.

Through the bylaws, council is also authorized to move forward with property-related work including obtaining rights-of-way, easements and licenses.

Bylaw adoption was put to a vote during council’s Tuesday meeting after a report from Denise Anderson, the city’s acting deputy corporate officer, about the alternative approval process carried out this summer.

Thousands of elector response forms were submitted opposing borrowing up to $140 million for a performing arts centre, and up to $135 million which would go towards an arena multiplex and future Build Kamloops design work. However, the number of forms received fell far short of the threshold needed to reject either borrowing proposal and force a referendum.

A few hundred forms were rejected because they were duplicates, had incomplete information, were submitted with invalid addresses or came from people living outside city limits. Forms were deemed incomplete if they were missing a person’s full name, address or signature.

In total, the borrowing proposal for the performing arts centre received 5,802 eligible forms and the proposal for the arena multiplex and future Build Kamloops work received 4,391 forms — both well short of the 8,713 threshold, even if the spoiled forms counted.

In response to a question from Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, Acting CAO Byron McCorkell said the borrowing bylaw provides the maximum amount city hall is now able to borrow — but it doesn’t necessarily have to borrow it all if funding comes from elsewhere.

“As you know, we're going to look for grants for federal and provincial money. We've also got a fundraising campaign started. We're going to be doing a local campaign as well,” McCorkell said.

Kamloops council unveiled the results of the AAP on the steps of city hall Monday.

Representatives from the Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society and the Kamloops Sports Council said they were excited to be moving ahead with the two much-needed projects.