This newsletter contains important information for residents living in Electoral Area C (Extension, Arrowsmith-Benson) and Electoral Area D (East Wellington and Pleasant Valley).
Lantzville incorporated as a municipality in June, 2003, leaving a remainder of Electoral Area D. The Province believes that, based on population, it makes sense to amalgamate the remainder of Electoral Area D with Electoral Area C. The Regional District of Nanaimo wants to ensure that residents in both Electoral Areas are aware that a boundary change is under discussion. The purpose of this newsletter is to raise awareness, look at the financial implications and seek your input.
As part of the incorporation of the municipality of Lantzville, the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services adopted Supplementary Letters Patent, which will amend the boundaries of Electoral Areas C and D in conjunction with the November, 2005 local government elections. George Abbott, Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services, invited the Regional District Board’s views on the proposal to amalgamate Electoral Areas C and D.
The Province believes the small population base in both Electoral Areas supports the idea of amalgamation. Although Electoral Area C is large geographically, it has the lowest population base (1, 167). The remainder of Electoral Area D (now that Lantzville has incorporated)has a population of 1, 325. An amalgamated Electoral Area would have a population of 2, 492, still the lowest among the Electoral Areas in the RDN. Other Electoral Areas in the RDN range in population from 3, 179 to 7, 041 residents.
The RDN Board formed a Restructure Advisory Committee to explore this matter further. A number of meetings have been held, including some with provincial representatives. The Committee consists of Elaine Hamilton, Director, Electoral Area C;Denise Haime, Director, Electoral Area D;and Joe Stanhope, RDN Board Chair. In addition, the Electoral Area Directors appointed two members at large from each Electoral Area -Bob Jepson and Charlie Pinker from Electoral Area D and Cheryl Tellier and Louis Lapi from Electoral Area C.
It’s difficult to predict the precise
financial impact for either Electoral
Area C or D, because some taxes may be
reduced to reflect lesser requirements for
service. Some budget adjustments will
affect all Electoral Areas and not just
Electoral Areas C and D.
Table 1 shows which services apply to Electoral Area C and D. The left hand side shows services affected by Lantzville’s incorporation. The right hand side shows services affected by the proposed amalgamation of Electoral Areas C and D.
Table 2 shows the estimated cost per $100, 000 of assessment for the services listed in Table 1, before and after the proposed amalgamation.
You can see that generally property taxes in Electoral Area C are expected to rise and property taxes in Electoral Area D are expected to decrease. These estimates are based on today’s budgets and do not reflect possible changes due to other factors which might happen between now and 2006. Elected Representation for Areas C and D
There will be another important change if Electoral Area C and Electoral Area D are amalgamated. Right now, Electoral Areas C and D are represented by different elected Regional Board Directors. If the proposed amalgamation takes place at the time of the November 2005 local government elections, residents living in the newly created Electoral Area would elect only one Regional Board Director.
We are interested in your opinion on the provincial proposal to have one elected director represent the views of the communitites of Electoral Areas C and D.
The RDN Board approved a recommendation from the Restructure Advisory Committee to consult with residents in Electoral Areas C and D prior to responding to the Provincial government’s request for an opinion on the proposed amalgamation. Two public information meetings will be held:
Area C
February 5 7 –8:30 p.m.
Extension Community Hall
2140 Ryder Road, Extension
Area D
February 11 7 –8:30 p.m.
Pleasant Valley Social Centre
6100 Doumont Road, Nanaimo
We encourage you to attend one of these meetings, ask questions and provide your feedback. If you are unable to attend a meeting, please email your comments to; Corpsrv@rdn.bc.ca or mail them to;
RDN Restructure Advisory Committee
Regional District of Nanaimo
6300 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo, B. C. V9T 6N2
If you are concerned about this issue, we encourage you to speak to your elected representatives.
Elaine Hamilton, Director, Area C
250-754-4828 Fax 250-754-4621
mehamilton@shaw.ca
Denise Haime, Director, Area D
250-390-1304 Fax 250-390-2982
denisehaime@shaw.ca
This flyer is intended for residents in RDN Electoral Area C and Electoral Area D. Overlapping postal routes could result in some municipal and adjacent electoral area residents receiving this newsletter.
