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BWG's share of police operating budget decreases - but costs still go up

Town continues to 'get good value' for policing, says mayor
South Simcoe Police
South Simcoe Police South Division Station on Melbourne Drive in Bradford. Miriam King/Bradford Today

Growth in Bradford West Gwillimbury continues to lag slightly behind that in neighbouring Innisfil. That means that, under the current cost-sharing formula, BWG residents will pay a smaller share of the South Simcoe Police Service’s Operating Budget in 2021.

That doesn’t mean that BWG taxpayers will see a decline in the cost of policing. Overall, the South Simcoe Police Operating Budget came in at $21,198,526 – a 4.64 percent hike from 2020.

When the Innisfil and Bradford police forces were amalgamated in 1996 as the South Simcoe Police, the cost-sharing was based on number of households, population, and current value assessment.

While capital costs are now split 50:50 between the two municipalities, the share of the Operating budget continues to be determined based on those parameters, as agreed upon by the director of finance/treasurer of each town.

In 2020, BWG grew by only 118 households, while Innisfil increased by 446. Innisfil also exceeded BWG in both total population and current value assessment. As a result, BWG’s share of costs in 2021 has dropped from 46.58 percent to 46.13 percent, while Innisfil’s share increases from 53.42 to 53.87 percent.

Adding in the $621,622 for the Police Capital budget, BWG will be paying just over $10.089 million for policing in 2021 – with $104,734 to come from court security and prisoner transportation grants, $242,216 from the Police Capital Expenditures Reserve Fund, $68,595 from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve, and $9,674,146 from the property tax levy.

For an average home assessed at $516,919, that means a bill of $639.53 for police services – an increase of $12.12 over last year.

Council received the information in Committee of the Whole on Tuesday night and voted to update the 1996 Police Services Amalgamation Agreement to reflect the latest cost-sharing percentages.

“I’m sure we do get good value for our police force,” said Mayor Rob Keffer, noting that City of Barrie residents pay an average of $883 per household for policing.

Deputy Mayor James Leduc pointed out that “90 percent of the budget is actually wages,” including the full-year impact of six new officers hired in 2020.

Even with those hires, South Simcoe has one of the lowest police-to-population ratios in Ontario, he noted. The South Simcoe Police Service has 119 officers per 100,000 population – compared to 131 per 100,000 in York Region, and the provincial average of 177 per 100,000.

“We have the smallest force,” Leduc said, praising the Police Services Board for bringing “more police to our community so we can be safer and certainly deal with issues a lot quicker.”

The Town of BWG begins its 2021 budget discussions on Jan. 25. Mayor Keffer noted that the municipality hopes to bring in a 0 percent increase in the tax rate.

"This is an exceptional year. We've never had a year like it," said Keffer. 

 


Miriam King

About the Author: Miriam King

Miriam King is a journalist and photographer with Bradford Today, covering news and events in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil.
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