Heritage Park Service Area Establishment

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A hand holding a black and white photo of a railway station in front of the same location in present day.

Heritage Park Museum is located in Terrace and provides programs and events for local residents and visitors. In order to continue contributing to the on-going cost of operating Heritage Park Museum, the RDKS Board of Directors intends to update the funding method.

The Issue: Currently, residents in Electoral Area E (Thornhill) and a portion of Electoral Area C (the greater Terrace area) contribute to the operation of Heritage Park Museum through an annual grant-in-aid. Grants-in-aid typically are meant for infrequent or one-time payments and aren’t ideal for regular funding.

The Proposed Solution: Instead of the annual grant-in-aid, the RDKS would use a “Service Area” funding model. This means funding would be based on the property value in the designated service area and the cost would be part of those residents’ taxes. Many local government services are administered this way.

Bylaw Synopsis: Bylaw No. 793 establishes a new service for the purpose of changing from the annual grant-in-aid to a service area funding model to continue to share in the operational, maintenance, and any necessary capital upgrade costs to the existing Heritage Park Museum. The proposed service area applies to Electoral Area E (Thornhill) and a portion of Electoral Area C (the greater Terrace area). At the Board meeting on April 19, 2024, the Kitimat-Stikine Heritage Park Museum Service Area Establishment Bylaw No. 793, 2024 received three readings.

The Cost: The RDKS is aware that cost is a concern for residents. Here’s the breakdown:

  • The maximum annual amount that the RDKS would contribute is $40,000 total per year, which is consistent with previous RDKS support for the Museum.
  • The average contribution per property would be $10.21 per year.*

What’s next?

It’s time to determine if residents in the service area want to support this initiative. The RDKS is using the Alternative Approval Process (AAP). The AAP is a cost-effective method that local governments can use for certain projects.

How the AAP works:

  • If you live in the service area and you support Heritage Park Museum becoming a service, you do not have to do anything.
  • If you do not support the Museum becoming a service, fill out an Electoral Response Form and return it to the RDKS office.
  • If 10% or less of the voters in the service area fill out an Electoral Response Form, the service establishment will go ahead.
  • If more than 10% of voters fill out a form, then the RDKS Board of Directors will either call a referendum or decide on another course of action.

Elector Qualifications: who is eligible to participate in the AAP?

  • Resident Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a resident elector must: be 18 years of age or older; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; live in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.
  • Non-Resident Property Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a non-resident property elector must: be at least 18 years of age; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; have owned property in the jurisdiction (e.g., municipality or electoral area) for at least 30 days; own property in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.

Timeframe

The AAP will run until Friday, August 30, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. No elector response forms can be accepted after that date. The FAQ section has answers to some common questions. If you have further comments, please contact the RDKS office at 250-615-6100 to speak with the Corporate Officer.

Stay informed!

Keep checking back at this page, follow RDKS on social media, or contact our office at 250-615-6100 or info@rdks.bc.ca.

*Calculated at $0.0259 per $1,000 of net taxable land and improvements based on the average residential property price in the service area, $394,000.

Photo credit: Heritage Park Museum

Heritage Park Museum is located in Terrace and provides programs and events for local residents and visitors. In order to continue contributing to the on-going cost of operating Heritage Park Museum, the RDKS Board of Directors intends to update the funding method.

The Issue: Currently, residents in Electoral Area E (Thornhill) and a portion of Electoral Area C (the greater Terrace area) contribute to the operation of Heritage Park Museum through an annual grant-in-aid. Grants-in-aid typically are meant for infrequent or one-time payments and aren’t ideal for regular funding.

The Proposed Solution: Instead of the annual grant-in-aid, the RDKS would use a “Service Area” funding model. This means funding would be based on the property value in the designated service area and the cost would be part of those residents’ taxes. Many local government services are administered this way.

Bylaw Synopsis: Bylaw No. 793 establishes a new service for the purpose of changing from the annual grant-in-aid to a service area funding model to continue to share in the operational, maintenance, and any necessary capital upgrade costs to the existing Heritage Park Museum. The proposed service area applies to Electoral Area E (Thornhill) and a portion of Electoral Area C (the greater Terrace area). At the Board meeting on April 19, 2024, the Kitimat-Stikine Heritage Park Museum Service Area Establishment Bylaw No. 793, 2024 received three readings.

The Cost: The RDKS is aware that cost is a concern for residents. Here’s the breakdown:

  • The maximum annual amount that the RDKS would contribute is $40,000 total per year, which is consistent with previous RDKS support for the Museum.
  • The average contribution per property would be $10.21 per year.*

What’s next?

It’s time to determine if residents in the service area want to support this initiative. The RDKS is using the Alternative Approval Process (AAP). The AAP is a cost-effective method that local governments can use for certain projects.

How the AAP works:

  • If you live in the service area and you support Heritage Park Museum becoming a service, you do not have to do anything.
  • If you do not support the Museum becoming a service, fill out an Electoral Response Form and return it to the RDKS office.
  • If 10% or less of the voters in the service area fill out an Electoral Response Form, the service establishment will go ahead.
  • If more than 10% of voters fill out a form, then the RDKS Board of Directors will either call a referendum or decide on another course of action.

Elector Qualifications: who is eligible to participate in the AAP?

  • Resident Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a resident elector must: be 18 years of age or older; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; live in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.
  • Non-Resident Property Elector: When signing an elector response form during an AAP, a non-resident property elector must: be at least 18 years of age; be a Canadian citizen; have been a resident in British Columbia for at least six months; have owned property in the jurisdiction (e.g., municipality or electoral area) for at least 30 days; own property in the area defined for the AAP; and, not be disqualified under the Local Government Act, or any other enactment from voting in a local election, or be otherwise disqualified by law.

Timeframe

The AAP will run until Friday, August 30, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. No elector response forms can be accepted after that date. The FAQ section has answers to some common questions. If you have further comments, please contact the RDKS office at 250-615-6100 to speak with the Corporate Officer.

Stay informed!

Keep checking back at this page, follow RDKS on social media, or contact our office at 250-615-6100 or info@rdks.bc.ca.

*Calculated at $0.0259 per $1,000 of net taxable land and improvements based on the average residential property price in the service area, $394,000.

Photo credit: Heritage Park Museum

Page last updated: 17 Jul 2024, 01:41 PM