The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities wants to help communities with the rising costs of policing. President Dave Plourde says the organization is requesting the province create a grant to help towns with the impact municipal or OPP costs have on their budgets.
“We’ve seen last year with a freeze of 11 per cent I think for police costing,” he said. “Imagine how that really affects whether it’s 11 per cent or 10 per cent or nine per cent,” he said. “It really affects all of our budgets because it is a huge cost at the end of the day.”
In Kapuskasing alone, last year’s OPP costs represented a two per cent tax increase. He adds part of the unknown costs are the calls for service and the billing formula.
“It’s so complex even an accountant would have a hard time how they come about but they don’t affect us right away really,” he said. “The increase in policing costs only come down the year after so what it cost us last year is really going to affect us this year.”
He adds that it makes it hard for municipalities to plan because of the unknown.
