Impact of police costs jump haunts council as major project decisions delayed

The “profoundness” of a significant increase in policing costs for taxpayers in the Town of Osoyoos forced councillors on Monday to postpone funding for several important community projects they likely would have rubber stamped in the past.

Veteran Coun. C. J. Rhodes asked for and received support from the majority of council to turn down a funding request to install solar panels at the Osoyoos Childcare Centre, while delaying a decision to purchase a new dump truck for the Town and a $320,000 water improvement project along Lakeshore Drive for 60 days.

Rhodes said while all of the above projects are worthwhile and would benefit the community, he couldn’t support approving significant funding expenditures because council and local residents don’t know the impact of policing costs as part of the 2017 budget.

Council had more or less approved a 1.98 per cent budget increase for 2017 when it was revealed less than a month ago that the Town would now be responsible for providing 70 per cent of policing costs, instead of its usual 30 per cent after the latest Statistics Canada census confirmed Osoyoos’ population had officially exceeded 5,000.

Under provincial statute, communities that exceed 5,000 in population must pay 70 per cent of the costs of policing if they use the RCMP.

In Osoyoos, those costs have yet to be identified, but it’s expected the additional policing costs will be more than $500,000 in 2017.

“The profoundness of what we’re faced with policing-wise right now does require a new attitude and a

new way of looking at all the expenditures in our Town,” said an obviously distraught Rhodes.

The Town paid just under $390,000 for policing in 2016 and it’s expected that will increase between $500,000 and $600,000 based on the switch in the 70/30 funding formula.

Senior administration is expected to present a detailed staff report about the implications of increased policing costs at the next meeting of town council on Monday, March 20.

The Osoyoos Childcare Centre had asked for $19,000 to install solar panels, $15,000 to install resilient flooring and $28,000 to replace the original flooring in the almost 20-year-old facility.

Daycare centre management has sought funding from the South Okanagan Community Foundation.

Rhodes said saying no to an organization that provides wonderful daycare services to the community is very difficult.

“I’m really conflicted about this … we all know the daycare does a great job … and you don’t want to send the wrong message,” he said.

Because of the heavy burden of increased policing costs, Rhodes said he could not support their funding requests, but did support the centre applying to the Town’s Grant in Aid community funding program.

“I have serious concerns about moving forward with this at this time,” he said.

Coun. Jim King said he couldn’t support this funding request because the Town provides the daycare centre free of charge and he’s worried other community organizations would seek funding for capital projects, which contravenes current bylaws.

Council voted to deny the centre’s funding request, but extend the deadline so they can apply for Grant in Aid funding.

Jim Dinwoodie, director of operational services, had asked for council’s support to purchase a new two-ton multi-purpose truck used for garbage pickup and snow removal.

“The department would like to replace the existing nine-year-old, two-ton dump truck with a new equivalent model,” he said. “The existing vehicle has numerous mechanical issues which will require a substantial amount of repair work if the unit is not replaced in 2017.”

The vehicle is used in a variety of tasks including garbage collection, hauling materials and snow plowing, he said.

The dump truck would cost just over $101,000, but would be refinanced over five years, so Dinwoodie was asking council to approve $29,000 in funding in the 2017 budget.

Rhodes once again said he couldn’t support spending this kind of money when so many questions remain relating to policing costs.

“The answers don’t come easy,” he said.

He asked council to support a motion to delay a final decision on this request for 60 days.

“Can we defer it before we see the impact on the Town budget and residents,” he asked.

Coun. Mike Campol said the policing issue is going to force council into making some very difficult decisions now and for a long time to come.

“Soon we will be looking at every possible  option due to policing costs,” he said.

Dinwoodie said the current truck is “on its last legs” and could break down tomorrow and repair costs of $10,000 to $15,000 won’t guarantee the truck will remain operational until the end of 2017.

Delaying this decision now would mean a new truck won’t arrive until the fall and the lowest quote provided might not be available if council revisits the funding request in 60 days, said Dinwoodie.

But Rhodes insisted spending $100,000 on a new truck “is a powerful amount of money” when you factor in the policing costs issue council is facing.

Council voted in favour of Rhodes’ motion to delay a decision on this issue for 60 days.

Finally, Dinwoodie had asked council to support funding $320,000 to upgrade the Town’s domestic water system for four unserviced lots along Lakeshore Drive, including a new distillery that has already opened for business.

Part of this funding would also be used to upgrade the water irrigation system near Osoyoos Secondary School so reclaimed water could be used to water the sports fields at and around the school.

Rhodes reiterated that while he knows this project is needed and worthwhile, he couldn’t support the funding request until the policing costs issue is reviewed and addressed.

“It’s a wonderful project … but can it wait?” he asked.

The new distillery opened on the assumption it would have access to Town water and the reclaimed water sewage ponds need to be reduced and the plan was to use reclaimed water on the sports field at the high school, said Dinwoodie.

Campol said he was “morally conflicted” about not approving this project as the owners of the new distillery assumed they would be hooked up to Town water with the completion of this project.

But he agreed with Rhodes that approving this kind of infrastructure project without knowing the full impact of policing costs is extremely difficult.

Council heard the distillery does have access to well water and should be able to continue operations until this project is discussed again in 60 days.

Mayor Sue McKortoff said “water and sewer issues” can’t be ignored and she had to support this funding request as a result.

Because the Town has a policy of not allowing major infrastructure projects to proceed during the busy tourist season, the quickest this project could resume is in the fall, said Dinwoodie.

After a lengthy discussion, Rhodes’ motion to postpone this funding request for 60 days was approved.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times