It’s been quiet. Too quiet. If only there was something going on … like a bombshell report on the city’s new firehall referendum.
Delivered, thank you very much city chief financial officer Bryn Burditt. It would have been Machiavellian had it been orchestrated by a single person. However, a series of unforeseen events far away from the machinations at City Hall has thrown the project on its ear.
And, no, the unforeseen events from far away have nothing to do with Donald Trump. They have everything to do with the federal and provincial governments.
OK, I have to set the stage here for those who have better things to do than watch a three-hour city council meeting (the Blue Jays game was over and, being summer, there’s nothing good on the tube so city council it was).
The evening started out innocuously enough with a lengthy and detailed report about the costs of the new firehall. As expected, the $20.5 million price tag was whittled down to $13.5 million and with a contingency fund of 15 per cent, the cost is about $15.5 million … not enough of a pare down for some, too much for others.
Coun. Harsh Ramadass, who espoused he isn’t the nickel-and-dime guy quibbled about the number of lockers. Coun. Troy Nixon, pointed out the generational aspect of the facility, and worried the cuts made would sell us short in the future.
And it should be pointed out that the city will secure money from other sources, so just because the final cost will be $15 million, that doesn’t mean the city has to borrow that amount.
And then along came Bryn … the money guy. It’s always the money guy.
There were a lot of numbers tossed out there but here’s the gist of what he said. Or at least what I understood him to say.
The good news is there is a federal grant program from which he is fairly confident the firehall project could pull $7 million from. It only takes applications every couple of years, or so, and the stars have aligned for the firehall project.
The bad news is the grant application has to be submitted in September. We won’t know how much we actually need until after the referendum, which is slated for October. And, of course, if the referendum fails, we wouldn’t need any of that funding.
That uncertainty, he said, would make the project “risky” in the eyes of those deciding where to spend the money and approval would be unlikely.
But that’s not the real bombshell. It came courtesy of the provincial government which, in the past couple months, quietly changed the formula cities use to determine how much it can borrow without going to referendum.
The City of Fernie’s allotment … $23 million.
Yes, jaws can drop. The city can build the firehall without going to referendum. The kicker, if council moves quickly and approves the borrowing bylaws, set for July 15, it will have all its ducks in a row in time to qualify for the $7 million in federal funding.
The only drawback? Council feeling the wrath of those who had their hearts set on a referendum. I would suggest council is already feeling the wrath of those folks. In addition, it seems the loudest calls asking for a referendum want it to be on the location, not the borrowing. Hey, I don’t like the location either, but that ship has sailed.
And, of course, there are those who don’t believe the city should borrow money … period. The cost of borrowing is certainly a concern. However, from a city council perspective, it’s something it is already prepared to undertake.
The bottom line is the city has an opportunity to build a permanent firehall, something the community hasn’t had for more than 40 years, as Mayor Nic Milligan pointed out.
And, there is certainty. Going this route would see construction begin in the spring with completion in 2027.
When the stars align, it’s best to point your ship in the right direction.
Born and raised in Fernie, Bill Phillips is an award-winning journalist and columnist. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. Read more Writer’s Block here.
