HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-04-28, Page 32PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016.
Enjoying the weather
While it wasn't warm on Monday, there wasn't any snow, so students at Hullett Central Public
School could do what they wanted to at recess whether that was soccer, four square or playing
with a stuffed friend like Keryn Dale, left, and Holly Gross did. (Denny scoff photo)
OPP explains increase in cost
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
With policing costs in Huron East
rising nearly 15 per cent from 2015
to 2016, Jason Younan, Huron's
detachment commander, spoke to
council explaining the increase and
discussing policing in the
municipality.
Younan spoke to Huron East
Council at its April 19 meeting
regarding crime rates in Huron East,
the cost of policing and proactive
policing.
He acknowledged, however, that
crime rates were not what he was
there to discuss. He said that the cost
of policing is rising, that it's
expensive and that it's not likely to
go down any time soon.
Younan did say, however, that the
last few years have been marred by
the implementation of the new
billing model, which was instituted
for fairness across the province.
Now that that model has been fully
implemented, while policing costs
will likely continue to rise, he said
the increases should be rather
consistent going forward and not
extreme like those of recent years.
The per -household cost of
policing, Younan said, has actually
gone down from 2015 to 2016 from
just over $200 to $193. However, it
was a matter of instituting fairness
across the province that brought
about the new billing model.
Under the old billing model, he
said, some communities in Ontario
were paying $40 per household per
year for policing, while others had
policing costs of over $1,000 per
household per year. So levelling that
out and establishing fairness across
the province was important to the
OPP.
He said that while it might not feel
"fair" to Huron East at the moment,
he has seen the provincial figures
and the new billing model is
working. Other communities that
have seen their policing costs go
down, he said, find the new model to
be more than fair.
Councillor Ray Chartrand
communicated Huron East's
position, which is an increase of
nearly $200,000 in one year.
Increases like that are simply
unsustainable, he said, especially
when the municipality isn't
receiving any increased level of
service.
Younan said that much of policing
costs are tied to actual service costs.
There are basic costs associated with
providing policing in a municipality,
he said, but much of the costs
thereafter are charged on a per -call
basis.
That's why proactive and
community policing are so
important, Younan said. As he had
discussed at a Huron County
Council meeting earlier this year,
stopping crimes before they happen
and tailoring a community to be
safer and more crime -proof are
becoming more important than ever
as the cost of policing continues to
rise.
While debate continued back and
forth, councillors said they
appreciated the OPP and all they do
in the community — it's just getting
to be very, very expensive for a
municipality with a tight budget.
"We don't appreciate the cost of
your service, but we do appreciate
the service you provide," said Mayor
Bernie MacLellan.
Violent crime statistics in Huron
East were "relatively unremarkable"
Younan said, although there had
been a slight increase in the number
of assaults in 2015 compared to
2014.
Many of the assaults in the
municipality, and throughout Huron
County, continue to be domestic
incidents, he said. Domestic
violence throughout the county is a
"continuing challenge" Younan told
councillors.
The foremost challenges in Huron
East, which closely echoes crime in
Huron County, are drug pressures
and property crimes.
Younan said that policing across
Huron East is rather consistent with
provincial statistics in terms of
clearance rates for similar
investigations.
Veolia contracted
despite conerns
North Huron Township Council
passed a motion last week that will
see its water systems operations
handled by Veolia Water Canada Ltd.
during its most recent council
meeting despite concerns from a
ratepayer with firsthand water
operations experience.
Shawn Bromley of Blyth, a water
and wastewater operator for another
municipality, made a presentation to
discourage council from entering
into a contract with Veolia and
consider options that he said staff
had not presented to council.
Bromley took Chief
Administrative Officer Sharon
Chamber's report regarding the issue
and outlined where he felt the report
could be applied to any water
operations provider and not just
Veolia.
Specifically, Bromley pointed out
that, while Veolia did have
experience with North Huron's
systems, any water operations
authority could provide the same
option.
He also stated that, since Veolia
had hired staff from North Huron
when they took over the water
system from 2004 to 2007, thus
giving them the experience, North
Huron was benefitting from its own
employees and not directly from
Veolia.
Bromley also pointed out the fact
that North Huron had switched from
Veolia in 2007 and decided to handle
their water and wastewater
operations in-house and asked why
that decision was made.
"Did they perform well or why did
North Huron switch?" he said.
Bromley also stated that other
reasons Chambers had outlined, such
as Veolia's willingness to step in
when North Huron's Chief Operator
had stepped down, could have been
attributed to any company North
Huron contacted.
The amount saved by not
preparing terms of reference and
transition was also called into
question by Bromley, who said that a
request for proposal (RFP) process
could result in significant savings,
especially with a contract that could
cost millions.
Bromley eventually said that all
the reasons presented were a good
case for outsourcing the
responsibilities of the municipality
with water, but not a good reason to
choose one authority over another.
"The real concern that the
ratepayers should have is that the
CAO and council are about to pick
their favourite contractor and
provide them with a five-year
contract that could be renewed," he
said.
Bromley also called foul that the
contract stipulates that North
Huron's own equipment will be used
by the contractor.
"Why would you let a contractor
wear out your assets when in five
years they could be gone?" he asked.
"Let them use their own."
Reeve Neil Vincent thanked
Bromley for his presentation and
responded by stating that council
was privy to information he wasn't.
"A lot of things council looked at
differently than you did," he said.
Chambers said she wanted to have
a response to Bromley, however she
didn't have that information right
away. Later in the meeting, she
explained that council didn't work
on any of the single issues he
brought up, but on all the issues
together. She also addressed some of
his concerns before council voted to
approve the contract with Veolia.
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Downtown Blyth
519-523-4740
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10am-2pm
36469 Amberley Road, Lucknow
519-529-7995
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