Times-Advocate, 1999-03-24, Page 44
Town sitting
on '99 OPP
service quote
By Craig Bradford
"TIMES-ADvoc;A'rE STAFF
EXETER — Exeter coun-
cil has three questions for
the Huron OPP before they
decide to throw their hat
in for county -wide policing.
Council discussed the
issue at Monday's commit-
tee of the whole meeting.
The original motion was
for the town to adopt a
bylaw for county -wide
policing. Instead the com-
mittee, upon Mayor Ben
Hoogenboom's urging, will
table the issue till the
Huron OPP answers three
questions.
First, the committee
wants to know whether
Exeter will have to pay for
officer overtime spent in
Exeter. OPP officers spent
a total of 1,168 overtime
hours in Exeter last year
which the town wasn't
billed for.
Deputy Reeve Dave Urlin
believes the Huron OPP
will bill the town for over-
time once it enters a coun-
ty -wide agreement.
Second, it wants to know
whether the Exeter OPP's
current secretary will -be
hired on by the Huron.
OPP, be laid off or whethe
the town would have to
pay for her to stay on'
Third, it wants assur-
ances in writing the cur-
rent Exeter OPP detach-
ment will remain as is and
not eventually be closed as
a cost saving move.
Hoogenboom, Urlin and
Coun. Robert Drummond
were strongly against
going ahead with the
bylaw while Reeve Roy
Triebner and Coun.
George Robertson were in
favour of adopting the
bylaw.
Hoogenboom maintains
the Huron OPP will likely
close the Exeter office if it
moves its headquarters
from Goderich to beside
Huronview south of
Clinton.
Triebner said it was his
understanding the Exeter
detachment would become
one of the Huron OPP's
suboffices in the new con-
tract.
ontract.
Coun. Peter Armstrong
said council hasn't seen a
"bottom line price" for
policing services from the
Huron OPP.
Chief administrative offi-
cer Rick Hundey said the
Huron OPP gave a '99
policing service estimate
quote of $535,254 under
the county -wide option
and $530,806 for the
Exeter -only quote. The
Exeter -only quote doesn't
include administrative
costs.
The OPP' billed the town
$523,086 for policing in
'98 (actual cost was
$520,432). The projected
savings of going with the
county -wide quote is
$42,526 while the savings
for an Exeter -only quote
would be only $32,767.
Council has already
approved going with the
county -wide quote in prin-
ciple.
LWOW i.', les -Advocate
Wednesday. March 24, 1999
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