The city will host a meeting to ask the public whether or not it would support financing a business plan for the future of the railroad.

Mayor Brian Taylor said the city wants to ask residents if they would support hiring a consultant to draw up a business plan for the future of the railroad at a cost of $70,000. He said the proposal is not without risk. The plan may not work out. That’s why the city is looking for the public’s input before it makes the investment.

“We need something done by a set of professionals who know what they’re doing,” he said. “It’s a very limited number of consulting firms that can produce the kind of information that we need. At the same point, there’s a risk here that we’re going down a road that isn’t worth the money.”

Taylor said the affected businesses that use the railway have already put money into the impact study, which detailed the potential economic fallout that would result from the closure of the railway. As well, he said regional district areas C and D are not willing to partner on the expense.

The meeting will take place at Perley School on Monday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m.