WHEREAS the rate and amount of development in the District are increasing significantly every year; AND WHEREAS the area of the District served by sanitary sewer is increasing incrementally in concert with development and population growth such that the District is obligated to augment its sewer local service area routinely by conducting local service area petition and initiative processes in new areas twice or three times per annum; AND WHEREAS the cost and staff time associated with each petition or counter-petition process are disproportionate to the cost of each expansion and place an unreasonable burden of the Districts budget and staff; AND WHEREAS the District and other growing municipalities in British Columbia would like to have the power to establish a large local service area further to a petition or Council initiative in which owners are not liable for tax payments until they apply for the community sewer system to extend to their parcel, such that they become liable in respect of the capital cost and maintenance of their portion of the community sewer system automatically on application for extension of the system to their parcel, without any additional petition or Council initiative: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM petition the Minister of Community Services to take forward to the Legislative Assembly a Bill to amend the Community Charter to empower a municipality to establish a large local service area further to a petition or Council initiative in which owners are not liable for property value or parcel tax payments until they apply for the community sewer system to extend to their parcel, such that they become liable for the tax in respect of the capital cost and maintenance of their portion of the community sewer system automatically on application for extension of the system to their parcel, without any additional petition or Council initiative.
