New OPP costing comes with big hike in Powassan

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?

New OPP costing comes with big hike in Powassan

Postby Thomas » Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:46 pm

POWASSAN – Policing is now the largest single line item in Powassan’s budget.

During the Jan. 6 council, Powassan Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) representatives presented to council on a proposed billing model. If passed, the new method would see a 14.6 per cent increase to the municipality’s estimated cost, based on calculated cost per property.

“We have known of the change to the OPP billing system now for over a year,” Mayor Peter McIsaac wrote in an email.

“Along with a delegation at the 2014 OGRA/ROMA I met with the Minister of Community Safety and Corrections and Commissioner of the OPP to discuss the new system. I understand the need to have a consistent method to invoice throughout the entire province, however, policing is now the largest single line item on the Municipality of Powassan budget.”

Council received a letter in December of 2013 informing them their existing police services agreement would be coming to an end on Dec. 31, 2014. The announcement came as a surprise to councillors who signed a five-year agreement for service that they thought locked in costs until 2017.

Now that the proposal is here, the biggest change is the cost.

The 2014 forecasted cost per property was $275.57. The 2015 estimated cost is $315.82. This results in the total billing for 2015 being predicted at roughly $480,000.

Not included in the quoted proposal are the cost of maintaining the Powassan Police Services Board, the costs associated with establishing and maintaining community policing offices, and any applicable revenues accruing to the municipality as a result of police activity.

“We have been aware for more than a year of the new proposed police billing model and 2015 price,” McIsaac wrote.

“We have been absorbing constant increases now for the last few years.”

Although he was expecting the substantial increase, McIsaac had oppositions to the new billing model when it was first announced.

“When I met with the minister and commissioner I strongly suggested that if it’s a per house billing system the OPP wants to introduce, the province needs to look at including unorganized townships into this formula,” he wrote.

“It’s unfortunate that this was not taken into consideration. The Municipality of Powassan has many remote locations that would receive fewer police patrols than the unorganized communities in our area.”

The Almaguin News attempted to contact Coun. Roger Glabb, who chairs the Police Services Board, for comment, but he did not return calls on his municipal cell phone.

The OPP proposal expires six months from the date of presentation to council. McIsaac has asked clerk Maureen Lang to have the contract on the next council agenda, which is scheduled for Jan. 20.

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