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Police funding changes create financial uncertainty

The proposed restructuring of the provincial government’s model to provide police funding throughout Alberta has stirred up some concern from local elected officials.

The proposed restructuring of the provincial government’s model to provide police funding throughout Alberta has stirred up some concern from local elected officials.

In fact, a motion was recently unanimously carried approving a lengthy list of concerns Sundre’s council outlined to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA).

“There are 12 items that have been noted as items of concern that we want to bring forward to both AUMA and also to the submission that we’re going to be presenting to the government,” said chief administrative officer Linda Nelson.

Among the greatest worries is how the cost of providing police services will be spread out. The currently proposed costing model is based on anywhere between 15 and 70 per cent cost recovery, which obviously leaves loads of room for uncertainty.

The difference could mean Sundre contributing some tens of thousands of dollars a year, or upwards of hundreds of thousands.

And we already struggle to find the dollars needed to deal with potholes and snow removal, never mind critical major infrastructure upgrades such as the sewage lagoon.

Imposing this expense on small towns like ours “will cause us to either reduce levels of service or increase taxes to individuals, who are already paying taxes for this service” through provincial taxation, said Nelson.

“What is critical is the fact that many smaller municipalities simply do not have the ability to pay.”

In all fairness, the process to revamp the provincial police funding model began during the previous administration.

However, the current government will be responsible for making the final decision, which could result in small towns like Sundre suddenly seeing a substantial cost increase.

That, as Nelson told council, will invariably translate into increased municipal taxes, reduced levels of services, or some combination of all of the above.

Considering many people aren’t exactly enthusiastic about how much taxes they’re already paying to the municipality, this isn't likely to go over very well.

Municipalities have until Oct. 15 to submit written feedback to the government.

And if discussions during the Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 council meetings were any indication, local officials seem intent on expressing their concerns.

What remains to be seen is how much weight, if any, our small town will have towards influencing the government's final decision.

— Ducatel is the Round Up’s editor


Simon Ducatel

About the Author: Simon Ducatel

Simon Ducatel joined Mountain View Publishing in 2015 after working for the Vulcan Advocate since 2007, and graduated among the top of his class from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's journalism program in 2006.
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