KITCHENER -- After months of debate, and opposition from the mayor, Guelph city council has voted in favour of building a new $62-million library.
Although not officially on the table, Mayor Cam Guthrie had been championing an alternative, scaled-down option in the $40-million range.
The more expensive option comes with a 0.39 per cent tax levy increase starting next year, which will remain in place for the next 20 years.
That will cost the average homeowner up to $1.25 a month.
The $40-million option comes with no levy.
Guelph mayor Cam Guthrie made it clear he was in favour of the less expensive option.
“I’m concerned with moving ahead with such a large amount on a capital project, it is something that concerns me in the COVID world that we are living in right now, there’s uncertainty with the economics,” said Guthrie at a public meeting on Monday.
After the vote passed 8-5 late Wednesday night, Mayor Guthrie, in a video posted to twitter, says that despite his opposition it is important for council and the community to get behind the project.
“It’s really important that as a council, as a community, myself, that we get around it, we rally around the project we get ready to get shovels in the ground and we get ready to move on together,” said Guthrie.
Construction of the 88,000 square foot library is expected to start in 2022.
Correction:
A previous version of this story suggested that council members chose between two options for the library. In fact, council voted in favour of the $62-million option; the other option wasn't officially on the table, but Mayor Cam Guthrie had been pushing for a scaled-down version of the library in the $40-million range.
