The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen will be joined on June 12 by MLA Amelia Boutlbee for a public information session on the potential takeover of the Sage Mesa water system.
The info session will go over the the 2024 engineering and financial assessments for the system, including the estimates for the upgrades necessary for the system to comply with quality and health standards.
The RDOS will also go over the referendum process, and will have staff on hand to answer questions.
In addition to Boultbee, the head of water utilities engineering for the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and an Interior Health drinking water systems specialist are also set to attend and be available to field residents questions and concerns.
In October of 2024, the RDOS board of directors voted to approve sending a borrowing request to the Inspector of Municipalities for a loan of up to $33 million to cover necessary upgrades for the system if it is taken over.
That borrowing would require the approval of residents through the referendum first.
Many residents who are hooked up to the system have been on boil water notices since 2019. There are over 240 properties that would be impacted by the acquisition of the system.
The $33 million would not necessarily be a single expense and tax, but would be spread out over 13 years and possibly less if certain expenses either come in under budget or are not needed.
The most recent information from the RDOS stated that no new funding announcements are currently planned for the project.
A previous info session had previously been scheduled to take place in August of 2024, ahead of an anticipated referendum on April 12.
Both dates were pushed back, with the first info session taking place on Oct. 30 and the referendum date now tentatively aimed for November of 2025.
Another information session is also planned to take place on Sept. 10, in advance of the referendum.
