In the Capital Regional District, voters are currently being asked to approve $85 million for affordable housing.

In Nanaimo, they're being asked to approve $49 million for a new public works facility.

In both cases, they're not being done through a referendum, but through a complex funding model that can sometimes be efficient for local and regional governments, and sometimes cause political heartache. 

"I think generally people don't understand what the alternative approval process is," said Col…