School Site Acquisition Charge
Comments
Please email your comments here.
| Sean |
| Q. Considering a percentage of the people living in the homes you will be collecting revenue from will be attending independent schools in your school district, I sure hope the same percentage is provided to them for their capital costs. It's already a crime that homeowners cannot direct their hard earned taxes to their school system of choice like in other provinces I sure hope any additional taxes are fairly distributed to those who need them. If a fair percentage is shared then tax away. A. The School Site Acquisition Charge is a development cost charge which is payable when you purchase a new single or multi-family home. If you are not purchasing a new single or multi-family home, you will not be paying the SSAC. We are calculating the School Site Acquisition Charge amounts based on the need for new school sites and according to the Ministry of Education and Child Care SSAC guidelines. |
| Renee |
| Q. Strongly against the extra fee. It makes more sense to use what we have first. We also pay taxes for schools. Maybe more pressure needs to be put back on the gov to make funds available if the community needs more schools. A. The Ministry of Education and Child Care requires that a School Site Acquisition Charge (SSAC) be in place before they approve funding for new school sites. Without the implementation of a SSAC, the Ministry will not approve or proceed to purchase a school site. |
| Bruce |
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Q. I do not have a concern with the charges . This charges should be extended to development in the TNRD as well (people living in the rural areas all so use the schools as well. A. The SSAC is being implemented in Kamloops only, as it is the only jurisdiction within the School District where sites will need to be purchased for future new schools. |
| Marion |
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Q. I have always wondered why this was not done, also developer should donate land for a school if it is going to be a huge development. Also why can't schools be built like the camps etc in the oil fields and other places where they can be added to or refigured if the population in the area changes. A. Modular construction of schools has been looked at in the past. For a school, it is more expensive than traditional construction. Many parts of the school such as the gym can't be made from modular units. |
| Mirs |
| Perhaps staff in the board office and principals take a wage cut and that could go towards the fees, we pay enough. Ridiculous |
| Pamela |
| I am in support of this proposal and am pleased to hear that the school board is thinking ahead to solving the problem of overcrowding of schools in Kamloops. |
| Lorraine |
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Q. Definitely put this in place ASAP, but it should be much higher for single family homes which not only cost much more (so people moving into them can afford a higher fee), but are also more likely to house families with children. A. The SSAC values have been calculated in accordance with Ministry of Education and Child Care guidelines. |
| Christine |
| I am in favor of paying up to $300 more per year for adequate school space for kids to learn close to home. We live in Pineview and the current solution is unacceptable to be bussing that many kids to McGowan. I would also be happy to pay a yearly amount to support Community Health Centre bricks and mortar providing medical/clinical/social care distributed throughout the city close to people’s homes. This health infrastructure would help attach people to a doctor. Also, Family Physicians can NOT be replaced by NPs. They have a different skill set that does have lots of value in our system but they are different. |
| Trent |
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Q. I am fully supportive of the proposal to fund school development through the funding model outlined. I would also support a fee on substantial home renovations ($10 on every $20000 worth of renovation value for instance). A. The SSAC has been calculated in accordance with Ministry of Education and Child Care guidelines, which only reference new construction. |
| Melinda |
| I agree with charging the development fee for new residential properties. |
| Mark |
| What a great idea, let developments help pay for land acquisition. Great job by our school board in being creative! I support this idea. |
| Andy |
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Q. How many schools have been closed in Kamloops in the Past 20 years? Rather than increasing already heavily taxed developments (which are all passed on to the end user), why not sell some of the grossly under-utilized inventory/properties the school board already has? This would free up lands to help with our current housing crisis. A. Within Kamloops, only two previously closed schools are not being utilized for School District purposes. These are the former John Tod Elementary site which is being leased to the City of Kamloops for community purposes, and the former Ralph Bell Elementary site which is being rented to multiple daycares. |
Fees for Future School Development Approved
ÌÇÐÄSwag sought public input regarding the implementation of a
The District proposed the implementation of a one-time SSAC within the municipal boundaries of the city of Kamloops. The purpose of this charge is to collect funds from new residential development to assist in the paying of costs of new school sites which are necessary when constructing new schools to accommodate student populations generated by new residential development.
The detailed calculation is included on page 10 of the SSAC report. In summary, as indicated on Table 5.2, the rates are as follows: $288 per unit for Single Family dwellings; $259 for Multi Family, Low Density; and $201 for Multi Family, High Density per unit charge. As per regulation, the SSAC would be collected by the City of Kamloops and forwarded to the School District.
The period of public consultation was from Nov. 9, 2020 until Nov. 23, 2020. Comments were considered at the public Board of Education meeting on Nov. 23, 2020, prior to their resolution for approval.
School districts must have SSAC’s in place to receive capital funding from the Ministry of Education and Child Care for the acquisition of school sites. The City of Kamloops is the only jurisdiction in the Kamloops-Thompson school district that will require new school sites in the next ten years. Developments in Barriere, Clearwater, Logan Lake, Chase, Westwold and Savona and Sun Peaks are not included.
Based on the City of Kamloops Official Community Plan, the Board estimates that there will be 8,766 chargeable development units constructed in the City of Kamloops over the next 10 years, result in 2,354 school age children being added to the school district.
While the Board expects some of the additional school age children in the district will be accommodated in existing facilities, proposed growth for the Aberdeen neighborhood of Kamloops will require one new secondary school and one new elementary school.
According to Ministry of Education and Child Care school site area standards, the secondary school will require a minimum of 4.5 hectares of land, and the elementary school will require a minimum of 2.5 hectares of land. Based on current land values in that area, the Board estimates that the two new school sites will cost approximately $7,276,000.
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