Many local governments are crying out for more police presence, but some say shouldering part of the bill will upset budgets and raise taxes
'Whether it is them raising taxes or us, we’re all asking the same people for extra money,' said Jason Schneider, Vulcan County’s reeve, seen here on January 2, 2020.Residents in Vulcan County, a swath of the Prairies in south central Alberta, in early 2020 can expect a letter from their local government explaining why their taxes are going up.
“Whether it is [the province] raising taxes or us, we’re all asking the same people for extra money,” said Jason Schneider, Vulcan County’s reeve. “Unfortunately, in this situation, we’ll be the bad guys.” In April, rural communities will send the province the equivalent of 10 per cent of the PPSA’s overall front-line policing costs. This will increase to 15 per cent next year, 20 per cent in 2022 and 30 per cent by 2023.
Jonah Mozeson, a spokesman for Alberta’s Ministry of Justice, said Alberta consulted with municipalities and found most smaller communities “did want a new” funding model and additional policing. Local politicians who criticize the province for offloading expenses, he said, do so while arguing in favour of more police.
Vulcan County must now edit its 2020 budget plans, and if it raises taxes, Mr. Schneider expects the municipality will explain why in letters to ratepayers. He estimated the mill rate will climb by 2.5 per cent in the first year and up to 7.5 per cent by 2023. Mr. Schneider said his government has trimmed its budget by roughly 30 per cent in the past five years, largely because of the slowdown in oil and gas.; Vulcan County wrote off about $4-million in bad debt in 2019, Mr. Schneider said.
The new deal between Alberta and its rural municipalities “places priority” on increasing the number of uniformed patrol officers to 1,900 in rural detachments, the province said last December. It will also “add members to specialized RCMP units that dismantle organized crime and drug trafficking and investigate auto and scrap metal theft," the government said in a statement at the time.
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