A Chilliwack school board byelection will likely be held in March, and could cost an estimated $100,000.
The byelection is required to replace former trustee Heather Maahs, who is the newly elected Conservative MLA for Chilliwack North.
Maahs resigned from her long-time position as a trustee on Dec. 2 "to focus on the job before me and make British Columbia a province that speaks up for families, celebrates our accomplishments, invests in small business and resources, and applies common sense decision-making."
Her resignation triggered the byelection process for the Chilliwack School District and the City of Chilliwack, which conducts elections for the district.The city will now appoint a chief election officer, who will set a voting day on a Saturday within 80 days of being appointed.
That gives a rough estimate of March, according to an agenda item for the Dec. 10 public board meeting. That timeline is meant to accommodate the nomination period, advance voting and time to train election staff and consider the holidays between now and then.
During a regular election, the district shares the costs with the city, but during a byelection the cost rests solely on the school district. Costs have varied in the past, according to the report. The 2021 byelection cost about $135,000 but was higher in cost due to pandemic safety measures and the introduction of mail-in ballots. That byelection was to replace Dan Coulter, who had been elected as an MLA for the Chilliwack riding in the 2020 election.
The byelection before that cost about $51,000. The district has allocated a budget of $100,000 for this one.
The board has issued a statement about Maahs' service to the community, posted on the school district website.
鈥淥n behalf of the Board of Education for the Chilliwack School District, I鈥檇 like to acknowledge Heather Maahs鈥� many years of service as a trustee," board chair Willow Riechelt said. "Trustees hold trusted and important roles in their communities as advocates for public education. Heather was a prominent voice around the board table and a vocal champion for reading and literacy. We wish Heather well as she continues to serve the community in her role as an MLA."
