Details

WHEREAS the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development’s boundary extension guidelines for obtaining rural property owners' opinions can be calculated by utilizing either:

• one opinion per property owner (regardless of the number of properties ) OR
• one opinion per parcel (regardless of the number of property owners as some properties may have more than one individual on title) without taking into consideration assessed value or parcel size that results in large parcel owners being at a disadvantage,

AND WHEREAS rural property owners' opinions should be calculated using the Community Charter’s local area service project formula which is 50% of the property owners who have over 50% of the assessed value of land and improvements for fairness and equity,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the NCLGA be requested to petition the UBCM to request the Province of BC to amend their boundary extension guidelines to utilize the local area service project calculation formula to gauge rural property owners' opinions.

Additional Information

UBCM Comments: The UBCM membership has not previously considered a resolution requesting the provincial government to amend municipal boundary extension guidelines to utilize the local area service project calculation formula to gauge rural property owners' opinions.

However, UBCM is aware that members have endorsed resolutions in support of a greater role in the decision-making process for residents of rural areas identified in proposals for municipal boundary extension (2013-B3, 2003-A14, 1991-B62). Different ways have been proposed for increasing the influence of affected rural area residents on the municipal boundary extension process.