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Tiny tally in road referendum

Darren Stewart
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 07/03) - Only three per cent of eligible voters answered a referendum question last week asking whether ratepayers support the City of Yellowknife to borrow $1.5 million for road paving.

The 'yes' side won with 89 votes over the 'no' side's 25.

Returning officer Debbie Euchner said that number is not abnormally low for a ratepayer referendum.

"Actually, that's pretty normal," she said. "I think we see a lot more interest from the people who actually live in the area." Euchner said that 11 per cent of voters participated in the recent arena referendum and five per cent voted in last year's ratepayer referendum.

"But there were three bylaws, instead of one, last year so more people were interested," she said.

Coun. Ben McDonald said the low turnout doesn't bother him.

"If it were a low turnout in an election it would bother me," he said. "We weren't even asking for permission to do the project we were asking for permission to borrow the money to do the project."

The money will finance the 2003 Road Rehabilitation and Paving Program.