9-1-1 Emergency Service – Staff Report to Board of Directors RDOS
Administrative Recommendation:
THAT 9-1-1 Emergency Service Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 2623, 2013 be read a first, second and third time and forwarded to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval, prior to elector approval; and further,
THAT the Board authorize that elector approval for the adoption of the bylaw be obtained through an alternate approval process.
History: The Regional District operates a 911 Regional Dispatch Service which provides telecommunications infrastructure throughout the Regional District geographic area. The infrastructure is required for both the primary operations centre, which is contracted to the Central Okanagan Regional District for the distribution of all 911 calls to secondary operations centres for Fire, Police and Ambulance. It also provides the infrastructure for our contract with the City of Kelowna for Fire Dispatch.
A Telecommunications Study in 2010 indicated that our infrastructure was at risk of failure and a subsequent detailed engineering study in 2012 confirmed that and provided a cost estimate to upgrade the infrastructure to mitigate the identified risks. The project was approved in the 2013 Financial Plan and is now ready to proceed through the public assent process.
Alternatives: 1. That the Board utilize the Alternative Assent process authorized in the Act. 2. That the Board utilize the referendum process to obtain elector approval.
Analysis: The Board of Directors may, by Loan Authorization bylaw, borrow money for any purpose of a capital nature. Bylaw 2623 authorizes the borrowing of $1,640,000 financed over a 10 year period for the purpose of capital upgrades to the 9-1-1 Emergency system.
Before the Board can adopt a loan authorization bylaw; however, it must receive the approval of the Province and the service area voters. Elector approval may be obtained by way of referendum or an alternate approval process.
Financial Impacts: Debt servicing costs are estimated at approximately $210,000 annually. The chart below shows the annual tax requisition required to fund the annual estimated debt servicing costs.
Assessed Value Tax Requisition
$200,000 $2.54
$400,000 $5.08
$600,000 $7.62
$750,000 $9.53
Section 84 of the Community Charter contains the provisions for elector approval. If elector approval is required under the Community Charter or Local Government Act in relation to a particular matter, that approval may be obtained either by assent of the electors (i.e., a referendum vote), or by alternative approval process (AAP). The AAP is a significantly less expensive method of obtaining elector assent; therefore it is staff’s recommendation that the Board proceed in this manner.
The AAP, outlined in Section 86 of the Community Charter, replaces the former counter petition opportunity under the Local Government Act. The Board obtains approval of the electors through the AAP if fewer than 10% of eligible electors in the Regional District submit elector response forms.
By signing the alternative approval response form, an elector expresses his/her opposition to the particular matter being proposed by the Regional Board. If more than 10% of eligible electors in the service area sign the response forms, the Regional District must conduct a referendum in order to proceed with the matter.
Actual RDOS staff report above