The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) will take out a roughly $1.3 million loan to pay for new equipment for Christina Lake’s volunteer fire department.
The loan was put to an alternative approval process (AAP) among Area C/Christina Lake voters starting June 2. Under the terms of the AAP, the loan could have been scrapped if at least 10 per cent of area voters (160 people) submitted forms to the regional district indicating their disapproval.
Two voters had done so by the time of the AAP’s deadline at 4 p.m., July 4.
The RDKB’s board of directors adopted a bylaw authorizing the loan at their last regular meeting on Thursday, July 29, according to Anitra Winje, Manager of Corporate Administration.
“We’re very happy that Christina Lake voters made the right decision. We really need new trucks to keep serving the community,” Christina Lake Fire Rescue Chief Joe Geary said.
At the very least, Geary said the department needs a new frontline fire engine. The department will start ordering new equipment this fall, with deliveries expected to come in 2023, he explained.
Now that the loan is going ahead, Area C/Christina Lake voters will pay around $3 in increased property taxes next year, based on $100,000 in assessed real estate value, according to the RDKB. That number would jump to around $20 for a home assessed at $500,000 and around $40 for one assessed at $1 million.
