Orangeville council asks for OPP costing

Obscenely high and unsustainable policing costs. OPP bills are destroying communities its officers are supposed to protect. Apparent self-interest is cloaked in the guise of public safety needs. Where is the political outrage while OPP costs continue to climb? Who is going to bring policing costs in this province under control?

Orangeville council asks for OPP costing

Postby Thomas » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:55 pm

Orangeville will ask the OPP to provide a cost estimate for policing within the town.

In a recorded vote at council’s regular meeting on Monday (Jan. 20), councillors Mary Rose, Jeremy Williams, Scott Wilson and Sylvia Bradley voted in favour of seeking a cost estimate from the provincial police service.

“The public deserves to see those numbers,” Bradley said.

In 2013, an Orangeville homeowner paid $641.60 for Orangeville police based on the average home price of $296,498.

That number is set to rise, with the current 2014 police budget projected at $9,103,517, a 6.2 per cent increase compared to last year.

In comparison, the OPP are projecting their average cost per household in 2015 to reach $369, following an ongoing review of how the provincial force bills municipalities for its service.

However, that same review has placed a moratorium on contract renewals and negotiations.

Wilson, who tabled the motion, told council the review should be complete by June and a cost estimate for Orangeville would take about two months to complete.

“In all likelihood, the cost would be available sometime this fall,” Wilson said.

Mayor Rob Adams renewed his opposition to the OPP coming into Orangeville. He told council the provincial service often “lowballs” municipalities that request its service and then increases the price in years to come.

Adams added council requested a costing from the OPP about 12 years ago, which resulted in a similar price tag with less service.

“They were going to use a second available squad car coming from Shelburne to support the community,” Adams said. “Do you really want to wait for a car to come down from Shelburne?”

Orangeville resident Chris Jans accused the mayor of ‘scare mongering.’

“I don’t think you can find anyone happy in town with the increase related to policing,” Jans said. “We as citizens are asking, please go get the costing.”

Fellow resident Chris Thompson agreed.

“I don’t know what the fear is in us getting an estimate,” Thompson said.

“I love us having our own police service, but lets get an estimate.”

Wayne Omardeen, an Orangeville resident and president of the Peel Regional Police Association, told council switching to the OPP would equal the loss of the town’s police service board, as well as the ability to bargain locally.

“You will also lose the ability to bargain the wages of the collective agreement for the officers that patrol here,” Omardeen said.

Williams explained council would be “fools” to not investigate other policing options.

“I don’t think moving to the OPP is all rainbows and lollypops, there’s going to be pluses and minuses,” Williams said. “But we really would be fools not to explore every option.”

In November, the Orangeville Police Association (OPA) executive agreed to ask the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) to conduct a review of the “adequacy and effectiveness” of the Orangeville Police Services Board.

Wilson told council the motion to request a costing does not relate to the requested investigation.

“We can’t read anything more into the report than what the cost is,” Wilson said.

Williams, however, said a reduced cost is a comment in itself.

“If their price is half of what we’re paying right now, by default it would be a comment,” Williams said.

http://www.orangeville.com/news-story/4 ... p-costing/
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