What is a Local Area Service (LAS)?
A Local Area Service (LAS), pursuant to Part 7, Division 5 of the Community Charter, is a neighbourhood improvement paid for by the owners of the benefiting properties in order to deliver specific engineering infrastructure. Typical services accommodated under the LAS program are curb and gutters, sidewalks, streetlights, water mains, storm sewers or sanitary sewers. A LAS project can be initiated either by petition or by Council initiative and must be approved by the benefitting properties and District Council. Where initiated by Council, the proposed service is subject to a petition against. Each Local Area Service must be established by bylaw.
A local service tax is created by Council to pay all or part of the cost of a Local Area Service. The form of the local service tax ultimately chosen must be specified in the Local Area Service bylaw. Property owners can choose to either pay their share of the costs as a one-time payment or elect to pay it annually over a period of time, with the accrued financing charge.
Watch link below for more information regarding the Deer Ridge Local Area Service Project:
Local Area Service Listings
Deer Ridge Local Area Service Sewer
At the July 18, 2023 Regular (Afternoon) Council meeting, Council directed staff to initiate a Local Area Service process for Option 1 of the Deer Ridge Sewer Extension in accordance with section 213 of the Community Charter. Visit the portal to view the complete agenda and minutes package from the July 18, 2023 meeting.
Establishing a Local Area Service (LAS) and Loan Authorization Bylaw:
The District has identified a Local Area Service (LAS) for the Deer Ridge Sewer Area, which currently includes 112 properties, to bring municipal sanitary sewer services to the subject area. To do so, Council can initiate the establishment of a local area service by providing an opportunity for a petition against the proposed service, which means that the bylaw cannot be adopted if at least 50 percent of owners representing at least 50 percent of the assessed value of land and improvements that would be subject to the local tax sign a petition opposing the local area service. Council provided the authorization to begin the process at its July 18, 2023 Regular (afternoon) Council Meeting. The next steps in the process include providing the first three readings to the Local Area Service Establishment Bylaw, giving notice of the petition against, and by the Corporate Officer mailing the Council Initiative - Petition Against Package to all the parcels/property owners identified in the Local Area Service. The period for the petition against must be open for 30 days following the second publication of the required notice.
Council may only adopt the local area service bylaw if the service and its cost recovery methods have been approved by the taxpayers or electors within the service area. This approval will occur if an insufficient number of property owners petition against the proposed service.
Additionally, the District will require long-term borrowing to fund a portion of the project. A Loan Authorization Bylaw has been prepared to authorize the District to borrow the necessary funds of up to $2,225,000 to complete the project. The funds will be recovered by a parcel tax on the participating parcels in the area, over a 20-year amortization period. It is anticipated that the costs will be $19,866.07 per parcel. The estimated cost to property owners in the Local Area Service will be approximately $1,613.93 per year. An owner of a parcel within the Local Area Service may elect to pay their portion of the Local Area Service Charge levied for their parcel in the form of a one-time cash payment.
Project:
The Deer Ridge Sewer Project includes a gravity sewer from Deer Ridge along the Eco-Village frontage, down the flume trail right-of-way to Taylor Place, connecting to the existing sewer along Cartwright Avenue. The project is anticipated to be tendered in summer 2024, with construction initiating in the fall of 2024 and being completed in 2025.
The estimated costs for this project have increased since being introduced to Council in July 2023 due to a variety of reasons, including:
• Anticipated material price and labour increases for work in late 2024 and 2025
• Additional rock work required following geotechnical investigations, and
• Increased pipe sizing to ensure pipe capacity at full build out following the announcement of new provincial legislation (Bill 44).
At the April 9, 2024 Regular (Afternoon) Council meeting, Council gave the first three readings to the Local Area Service Establishment (Deer Ridge Sewer) Bylaw No. 2024-020 and the Loan Authorization (Deer Ridge Sewer) Bylaw No. 2024-021.
Opportunity to Petition Against
Council may proceed with establishing the local area service unless by 5:00 PM Monday, June 10, 2024 (30 days after notice has been given in accordance with section 213 of the Community Charter), the Council receives a sufficient petition against the proposed local are service, certified by the Corporate Officer representing at least 50% of the parcels subject to the local area service representing at least 50% of the assessed value of land and improvements that would be subject to the local service tax. For the Bylaw, the Elector Response Form must be in the form approved by Council of the District of Summerland.
PLEASE NOTE: Owners of parcels subject to the Deer Ridge Sewer Local Area Service will be directly notified by mail. Bylaws and other information regarding the Deer Ridge Sewer Local Area Service may be obtained from the District of Summerland, 13211 Henry Avenue, Summerland, BC during regular office hours, on the District’s website www.summerland.ca or by email at corporateofficer@summerland.ca.
Additional Information
The following documents provide more detailed information on the above bylaws:
July 18, 2023 - Deer Ridge Sewer Expansion - Local Area Service Report to Council
July 18, 2023 - Associated Engineering Memo - Sanitary Servicing Options and Cost Breakdown
July 18 , 2023 - Areas A B D E of Eco-Village Summerland - Appraisal Report
July 18, 2023 - Presentation Slides
April 9, 2024 - Deer Ridge Sewer Expansion - Local Area Service, Report to Council
Bylaw 2024-020 LAS (Deer Ridge)
Loan Authorization Bylaw (Deer Ridge) 2024-021
Printed copies of these documents are available at Municipal Hall, Tuesday to Friday, between the hours of 8:15 AM and 5:00 PM, excluding statutory holidays.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Officer
250-404-4037
kkinsley@summerland.ca