Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer said he’s received so much negative feedback over the library that he is taking the taxrequisition to referendum.
“There’s been so many people emailing me, talking to me, coming to the office about this and a lot of them coming from AreaG. They say it isn’t fair that 90 per cent of people didn’t get a say and that 10 per cent voted in the negative and that’s whodecided the fate of the library.”
The cost for the referendum would be about $3,000 per polling station - so in excess of $9,000 of taxpayer money as Area G,Area B and Keremeos would need at least one station each and possibly more in the rural areas.
Bauer acknowledged that referendums are costly but said he felt that the public outrage over the issue more than justified theexpense.
Bauer said he’s heard a number of complaints regarding the letter that Area G director Elef Christensen sent out providingwrong information about how much the tax requisition might cost residents in Hedley. The letter claimed the cost would beclose to $11 for the average homeowner in Area G, when in reality the amount was closer to $7 or 60 cents a month.
Christensen lobbied residents in Area G to stop the tax requisition that would have kept the library hours the same at theKeremeos library.
Since the requisition failed at the end of January the Okanagan Regional Library Board has said it will have to eventually closethe library one day a week more - so it will only be open four days.
Bauer plans to make the motion to hold a referendum on the issue at Thursday’s (today’s) Regional District OkanaganSimilkameen meeting.
The Review will have an update about this as soon as it is available. Check www.keremeosreview.com for updates.