City council has approved a local improvement charge for the reconstruction of Cook Street from Fourth Avenue to Eighth Avenue.

The project could begin next year, at the earliest.

City engineer Taylor Eshpeter explained in an interview it’s still up to council to decide whether to include the Cook Street project in the city’s 2021 annual budget.

Council’s unanimous approval of the LIC at Monday’s meeting comes after 12 property owners voted in favour of the project while three voted against it. The 26 unreturned ballots are counted as yes votes.

The local improvement charges are based on street frontages.

Most of the residential property owners will be assessed a charge of $9,838 plus interest, to be paid over a period of 15 years in annual instalments of $1,029, though property owners have the option of paying the full amount up front.

The administrative report to council notes that if the project did proceed next year, property owners would not start paying the local improvement charge until 2021.

The largest assessment for a commercial property is $82,323, to be paid in annual instalments of $8,615.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.4 million, with the 41 property owners contributing a total of $632,409.

The improvements involve new water and sewer infrastructure along with pavement, sidewalks and the like.