Petition process: options

Circulating a petition indicates to Council there is strong support for the project from the adjacent owners and that these owners are prepared to contribute their share towards the improvements.

In order for a petition to be considered successful:

• at least two-thirds of the affected owners must sign the petition form
• the combined value of all these owners must represent at least 50% of the value for the entire block.

A petition form can be acquired by contacting us either by phone, e-mail or by letter.

We will provide the petitioner with:

• a formal petition form
• an instruction list
• a list of property owners that are eligible to sign the petition with their mailing addresses.

In addition we will forward an Information Letter to each of the owners affected. The Information Letter will show

• the name and address of the petitioner
• outline associated costs
• and provide other pertinent information necessary to make a decision on whether or not to support the proposed improvement.

The petitioner needs to only ask the owner if they are interested in signing the petition form without having to explain the purpose of the petition, costs and other details to each household.

Once a petition form is returned to us, it is reviewed to ensure there is sufficient support and meets the required criteria. The signatures are matched to the name of the registered owners as it appearing on the records kept by the Collector of Taxes.

If the signatures are illegible or do not match, they will not be counted and the petition will be returned to the petitioner to gain additional support or to have the signatures rectified. When a petition is found to have sufficient support, the project will be advanced to the next Court of Revision.

If there is insufficient support, the petition form is returned to the petitioner with a letter outlining the reasons why the petition was not successful so that the petitioner may attempt to solicit further support.

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