Developed over the past three years, Lake Country’s 20-year Transportation for Tomorrow plan now has the go-ahead.
Council has made a decision to implement a funding model funding model that includes a $125 parcel tax to every property in 2016 supplemented with consecutive property tax increases of up to a maximum of 1.83 per cent – which equates to about $35 per household with an average assessment value of $500,000 – per year in the following three years.
“Providing safe and enjoyable ways of getting around Lake Country is the Transportation for Tomorrow vision,” said Mayor James Baker.
“After learning about the status of the 200-plus kilometres of roads in Lake Country, we saw a presentation from the specialist transportation consultant in October, and then had some lively debate over a few evenings on the various funding options that were put forward. We worked hard to balance the need to catch up on the $30 million backlog and secure our future while carefully considering the costs for our citizens.”
The district says levels of service are balanced against costs to get to solutions that are considered appropriate and affordable for the community.
“In this year’s community survey, and in recent public input on developing a parks and recreation master plan, we’ve heard people say they want safe places to walk and ride,” said Greg Buchholz, director of infrastructure services.
“Road condition and maintenance was recognized by those that did the survey as the single most important transportation issue in Lake Country. Real long-term solutions can only come from a committed and cooperative effort by informed citizens and the district. Timely decisions needed to be made and priorities set.”
