Hawkesbury asks province to pay up for policing costs

[Michael Jack]

The Town of Hawkesbury, along with many other municipalities across Ontario, are facing a significant increase in the cost of police services from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in 2025.

On Tuesday, November 12, Hawkesbury council adopted a resolution requesting the Ontario government to take measures to ease the financial burden of policing costs the town is facing.

The resolution, introduced by Mayor Robert Lefebvre, requests the province freeze policing costs in 2025 based upon the actual 2024 policing costs, or that the province increase the 2025 Ontario Municipal Partnership funding grant to recognize the challenges associated with increased policing costs in 2025.

Between 2021 and 2024, the Town of Hawkesbury paid an average of $2,948,990 per year for OPP services.

The 2025 estimated cost for the Town of Hawkesbury is now at $3,160,718 plus a 2023 year end adjustment of $191,848, representing an increase of 13.7 per cent for the year 2025.

The 13.7 per cent increase has resulted in an increase to the 2025 tax levy of 4.48 per cent and will account for about half of the 9.5 per cent total levy increase expected in the town’s 2025 budget.

According to the resolution, a one per cent increase or decrease in taxation is equivalent to $125,434 thereby representing a direct percentage increase of 4.48 per cent in direct taxation for the year 2025 for policing costs.

The resolution also claims that based on the town’s asset management plan; it has an annual capital infrastructure deficit of $5.8 million.

Finally, the resolution also explains how the Town of Hawkesbury is only receiving an additional $143,000 in Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund funding in 2025.

The resolution will be sent to Premier Doug Ford, the Minister of Finance, the Solicitor General, and Member of Provincial Parliament Stephane Sarrazin.

The resolution will also be circulated to other municipalities within the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.

https://thereview.ca/2024/11/19/hawkesb ... ing-costs/