Policing costs will loom large at budget time

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?

Policing costs will loom large at budget time

Postby Thomas » Thu Nov 06, 2014 3:12 am

Policing costs, always a dominant subject at municipal budget time, will loom larger this year as Havelock-Belmont-Methuen’s new council digs into the hard task of preparing its 2015 budget.

Faced with a 10.5 per cent ($94,343) increase in policing costs this year alone staff and the newly-elected council will be challenged to come up with long-term strategies to deal with O.P.P.’s new billing formula which blends calls for service with a “base service” cost applied to all municipalities served by the provincial police.

The OPP estimates the base cost at $200.51 per property. Calls for service would be over and above that amount.

HBM’s total billing for 2015 is a staggering $991,091 and will reach $1,242,333 in five years after the new increases are “phased in.”

In the past it was pretty much considered that 25 per cent of the tax levy was for policing, says Ron Gerow. With the new formula and HBM’s increase it’s not yet known how much of a bite those costs will take out of the municipal levy.

“The impact on overall taxation is not yet known at this time and we’re still gathering information for the 2015 budget,” says Valerie Nesbitt, treasurer and director of corporate services.

“It’s a much different billing system,” says Nesbitt.

“Everybody has been waiting with anticipation to see how this panned out,” she said of the new, complex formula, long in the making and played out over the growing chorus of municipal concern over rising policing costs and lack of municipal control.

The new model delivers a decrease for Asphodel-Norwood of just over $17,000 once the billing program is fully phased in. The Municipality of Trent Lakes faces a breathtaking hike of over $860,000.

Under the current system HBM’s 2014 forecasted policing cost is $816,000.

“I think council should consider a strategy going forward when you consider that amount ($1.242,333) phased in over five years,” Nesbitt said during a recent meeting.

“You may wish to strategize over monies in reserve.”

They will also have to look carefully at how they use Ontario Municipal Partnership Funding (OMPF) which is being phased out by the provincial government.

In 2014, Nesbitt noted, HBM “put forward a strategy to try to reduce the reliance on the OMPF.”

“These things should be brought forward because the impact is significant. You’re going to be facing an increase of $94,000 in just year one. It will be up to the future council with assistance from staff to try to find a solution.”

“It’s going to be one of the first things to deal with in the budget process,” Mayor Gerow said.

Gerow said policing is a top-of-mind subject at county council with a motion on the table to discuss other options.

“This is a very hard pill to swallow,” he said.

Gerow was “surprised” there wasn’t more talk about the issue during the provincial election.

It was “out there but not a topic of great discussion.”

“Everything’s on the table,” he said of those other options.

“One of the problems we’ve had over the years is to come up with a common thread in terms of developing a strategy to go forward together with the eight townships.”

One Police Services Board for the county has been suggested but under provincial law that’s not possible so there are eight OPP contracts in Peterborough County.

Getting the province to “open up” the Police Act is something municipalities could lobby for, says Gerow.

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