DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Streets won’t be paved, one will remain washed out and a municipal park’s foundation will deteriorate for another year after 10% of Dawson Creek residents voted down a bylaw that would allow the city to borrow $4 million to cover costs for such projects.Mayor Mike Bernier told a council meeting that some of what needs to be done will have to be ‘‘postponed indefinitely’’ after opposition to a borrowing bylaw.He said borrowing money is the most practical way to fund large projects and that the city has used such bylaws for the past 20 years because that’s a regular part of how a municipality funds capital infrastructure projects.‘‘If you had to pay cash that year your taxes would go up 50%,’’ Bernier said. ‘‘It’s not practical. It’s not a way to run a business. It’s not a way to run a city.’’ Bernier said citizens, including those who signed the counter petition, should get involved with the city’s budget process and help shape the outcome.‘‘When we have the budget meetings a very small percentage of people show up and that’s when we’re making decisions that run the community,’’ he said.
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