Gore Bay and Northeast Town to see decreases
MANITOULIN—For the vast majority of municipalities on Manitoulin Island the cost of policing is going to be going up significantly, except for the Town of Gore Bay and Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI).
“It will reach a point that people in the community will feel it; it will be difficult,” said Wayne Bailey, a Burpee-Mills Township councillor and a member of the Manitoulin Community Police Advisory Committee (MPAC).
“We met with (Manitoulin Ontario Provincial Police) Staff Sergeant (Detachment Commander) Kevin Webb (last) week and what we are going to be paying in terms of policing is very much what we expected,” stated Mr. Bailey last Friday. “In 2015 our police costs, because of the phase in period, we will be paying an increase of $40 more each year per property. We will be paying $147.64 per property in 2015.”
For Burpee-Mills the phase in amount over four years will be $89,953, which is about a 225 percent increase over our actual costs this year for policing,” said Mr. Bailey. “In 2015 our actual estimated police costs for services through the OPP will be $54,626, over our current $39,825 (2014).”
“It’s not good in terms of for every $10,000 the costs increase we raise our taxes a mill rate (one dollar for every thousand dollars of assessment value on a property),” said Mr. Bailey. “So obviously there will be an increase in our taxes.”
“The one good thing is that they are including not just houses but commercial and industrial buildings in the per unit price,” said Mr. Bailey. “The increases are bad enough, but I think we as municipalities managed to get some movement to reduce the costs somewhat by expanding what is taken into consideration as buildings-units.”
Mr. Bailey also said, “municipalities in the province are paying one-third of the total cost of policing, so we should also have one-third representation on the negotiating team with the province and the police unions, so it will not be directly a government decision.”
“Definitely it is good news for us,” stated NEMI Mayor Al MacNevin. “We knew the formula but not the amounts we would be paying, until now. Our 2014 budgeted police costs were $969,000, and in 2015 this is being forecasted at $862,540, a difference of $107,000. The cost before phase in would have been $798,844 but because of the phase in adjustment, we can’t see a decrease of more than $30,000.”
In Assiginack, the township paid a total cost of $232,013 in policing for 2014, while taxpayers will be paying $259,015 in 2015.
Carrie Lewis, clerk for Gordon-Barrie Island, told the Recorder, “our costs went up quite a bit.” The municipality had paid $73,427 in police costs in 2014, in 2015 it will go up to $183,749 before phase in, so it will be a 159.6 percent increase. With the phase in it is a 33.7 percent increase for the 2015 budget.
“Like just about everybody else our policing costs have gone up,” said Ruth Frawley, clerk for Central Manitoulin. “The total billing estimate is $422,562 for 2015 and was $506,065 before the phase in. Our 2014 estimated costs had been $364,747. This is up to $281 per household.”
Kathy McDonald, clerk for Billings Township, explained the municipality will see an increase of a little over $30,000 for 2015. In 2013 we paid $109,000, for 2014 they are estimating a cost of $141,720. With the phase in 2015 the costs will be $171,041 and in three years the costs are estimated to be $205,865.
For Gore Bay the policing cost are decreasing. Town clerk Pam Bond told the Recorder that in 2014 the town paid $269,596 and in 2015 the phased in policing costs will dip to $243,153.
For Tehkummah Township the figures for 2015 are $88,986, while the 2014 costs were $74,731.
Cockburn Island, which had paid zero policing costs in 2014, but $650 in 2013, will see their policing costs increase over 2,900 percent over 2013. It is estimated the costs will be $19,500 for 2015.
“I can tell you with the new billing model, 60 percent of the cost of OPP municipal policing is shared among all 324 municipalities in the province,” said Manitoulin Island Staff Sergeant Detachment Commander Kevin Webb in an interview with the Recorder. “In the form all properties are included, including full-time and seasonal residential units, commercial and industrial buildings. Within the province we are talking about 1,103,152 properties. When they do the math and look at how much it will be for each municipality it is $251 per property—that’s 60 percent to provide the OPP services.”
“The other 40 percent of policing costs are calculated on a call for service basis,” said Mr. Webb. “Something that continues to be a provincial responsibility (are those activities) that are proactive: foot patrols, traffic patrols, bicycle patrols, police community events. The province pays the cost of those. The more proactive work we do, the fewer incidents we have to react to and investigate. We will continue to do these proactive programs to keep the costs down.”
The increases will take effect on January 1, 2015, he added.
