Voters in the Town of Ladysmith have made their voices heard, overwhelmingly voting against the borrowing of $13.5 million to replace their aging City Hall during an alternative approval process. A total of 2,135 forms, or 28.8 per cent of voters, submitted forms, with the threshold being 10 per cent needed to stop the process. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

hard no

Ladysmith City Hall redevelopment AAP fails with resounding opposition

Jun 26, 2024 | 2:48 PM

LADYSMITH — It’s back to the drawing board for the Town of Ladysmith to fund building a new city hall, after residents overwhelmingly voted against the borrowing process during an alternative approval process. (AAP).

The 33-day legislative process to finance a new Ladysmith City Hall resulted in 2,135 electors, or 28.8 per cent of eligible voters, opposed to borrowing up to $13.5 million for the project before the Tuesday, June 25 deadline.

Approval is obtained if less than 10 per cent of voters, or 741 people, submit valid responses objecting.

Ladysmith voters were invited to officially file their opposition to the large-scale project starting on May 24, with a notable rush of interest shown on Facebook forums populated by people primarily against it.

Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone said in a statement they respect the results of the AAP and will carefully consider their next steps.

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“We are committed to moving forward and exploring alternative solutions that align with the needs and priorities of our staff and community as a whole.”

Plans for the new development included around 100 housing units geared toward middle-income earners built above the new City Hall, part of their Buller St. revitalization project.

Ladysmith is one of 20 local governments and organizations enrolled in BC Builds, which includes lower-cost financing and grants to reduce construction costs.

More information on the project and the AAP process can be found here at the Town’s website.

The loan would be repaid over the course of 30 years, according to a staff report, with an estimated annual payment of $860,520.

Residential components to the project were not included in the AAP or the financing and voters were strictly being asked to respond to the City Hall itself.

Ladysmith’s new City Hall/housing project is slated to be built on Buller St. at 1st Ave. (Town of Ladysmith)

The last AAP done by the Town of Ladysmith cleared the way in 2022 to spend up to $2.1 million for a new aerial platform fire truck for Ladysmith Fire/Rescue.

Use of the AAP has had a checkered recent history in Nanaimo.

City of Nanaimo were twice forced to stop an AAP process for a proposed new public works yard due to administrative errors in notice and procedure.

Councillors in Nanaimo discussed some further funding options during a recent meeting, with a final option still yet to be decided on.

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