The proposed tax to fund first responder service on Cortes Island might have returned to the regional district table, but the hall tax is still in limbo.
Both issues are supposed to go before voters, but they were put on hold in January following the launch if 14 residents’ legal petition against Area B Director Noba Anderson over conflict of interest allegations.
RELATED STORY: Strathcona Regional District puts Cortes Island business on ‘pause’
At the March 13 meeting, the board voted to bring back the bylaw for first responder service. However, for the hall tax, they opted first for staff to prepare a report for the board following the conclusion of public consultation on the proposed community hall service.
“I want beyond anything for this to go to a referendum this year and for this board to honour the will of the electorate,” said Area B Director Noba Anderson.
She pointed out the SRD had already undertaken extensive public consultation with Cortes residents for the longstanding issue.
“To me, that was satisfactory,” she said. “I firmly believe that that work has been conducted and by going back to community consultation we are not going to learn any new substantive information that we don’t already know. I really do need to let the board know that we’re walking into a hornet’s nest, that Cortes Island right now is really upset about a bunch of things with the board.”
Anderson added that if the board feels more “due diligence” is needed and want to undertake another round of community consultation, she would not oppose it.
“It’s important that we get this procedurally correct,” she said.
In recent weeks, the Strathcona Regional District has been hit with an influx of letters from residents upset by the board’s decision to hold off on the votes. A couple of delegations, including one from a community association advocating for the hall tax to support community hall operations, were denied the opportunity to appear before the board, initially because staff felt it contravened the SRD’s delegation policy.
RELATED STORY: Strathcona Regional District board finally hears Cortes delegations
Earlier this month, the SRD changed course and allowed the delegations to speak about their concerns over the delays as well as what they felt was the SRD putting governance on the island on hold and about the influence of people behind the scenes contacting SRD board directors other than Anderson.
Last fall, some members of the board expressed concern over a plan to drop a parcel tax option to pay for hall service and ask voters to decide on a tax based on assessment value of property. Area C Director Jim Abram agreed it should go to referendum as soon as possible but still had questions about the changes.
“Which is it in the community? Is it assessment? Is it parcel tax? If the board develops a bylaw that’s parcel tax and then puts it to question, then you’ve immediately alienated a portion of your community,” he said, adding the consultation process should determine whether to use assessments or a parcel tax.
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SRD board chair Michele Babchuk said that while it was not realistic to expect consultation to bring about a consensus among Cortes Islanders, the process should instead inform their decision about the question on which residents will vote.
“Please don’t think at any level, we’re going to end up at consensus,” she said. “There is a need for a referendum on Cortes. I know that Cortes has a long memory…. I want to see this move forward.”
The hall tax has been a longstanding issue on Cortes, causing division in the community for the last decade. In 2010, the item came up, but a plan for a tax was quashed after the issue failed to clear the alternative approval process (AAP). Through the AAP, an issue can proceed without going to referendum, assuming it does not generate sufficient local opposition. For a matter to be defeated, at least 10 per cent of voters must submit opposition in writing.
“If in 10 years, we can’t give our electorate the opportunity to vote on whether it wants a service or not, something is broken,” Anderson said. “If we don’t put it to rest, it will continue to come back.”
RELATED STORY: Hall tax referendum divides Cortes Island
After community groups on Cortes lost their funding from provincial gaming revenue in 2017, they started asking for the item to be put back on the agenda.
Last summer, the SRD board agreed to have the item go on the ballot during the fall elections but only as a non-binding question. In the October elections, 443 voted in favour of the regional district preparing a bylaw to establish funding for the community halls, while 191 voted against the idea.
NOTE: The story has been changed to clarify the alternative approval process (AAP).