Public should know how much they pay for policing: Reeve

RCMP hats can be seen in this undated file photo. (File)

An Alberta municipality says it wants to tell ratepayers how much of their taxes are being spent on policing costs, but Municipal Affairs is taking issue with its disclosure.

Nick van Rootselaar, deputy reeve of the M.D. of Spirit River, said his administration has tried to be upfront with residents about costs and the reasons for mill rate adjustments.

Like many municipalities, policing is a large, and growing, expense for Spirit River.

van Rootselaar said staff have been showing the policing invoice as a requisition on taxation bylaws and tax notices, "and getting their knuckles wrapped by Municipal Affairs for doing so."

The Municipal Government Act’s definition of a requisition includes amounts required to be paid in relation to education, housing, and industrial property assessment.

Because policing isn’t named in the Act, Municipal Affairs says the M.D. can’t list policing as a requisition.

"They say (it) creates more red tape. Well, it’s just a keystroke for our people to do it, and we'd like to continue doing so," van Rootselaar said at the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) convention on Tuesday.

The M.D. of Spirit River brought forward a resolution at the convention which asks that RMA advocate to the province to amend the necessary MGA sections to designate the Police Funding Model as a requisition.

The text of the resolution notes that under the province's Police Funding Regulation, introduced in 2020, rural municipalities and towns with fewer than 5,000 people are now issued an invoice by the province for the cost of front-line policing services.

The municipal portion of that bill was initially set at 10 per cent but increased incrementally to 30 per cent.

"Ratepayers in municipalities across the province should know what portion of their taxes are going to protect them through the policing paid to the Government of Alberta," the resolution states.

Temporary freeze on policing costs

The current police funding arrangement between the province and municipalities is set to expire in 2025.

Because of increased price for service related to the new RCMP collective agreement, smaller municipalities were looking at a sudden 39 per cent price jump for policing when the regulation was renewed on March 1.

Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver told the officials gathered at the RMA conference that the province will freeze the cost of policing for one year and extend the current regulations until 2026.

"We recognize that any increases would be challenging, so that's why we are temporarily adjusting the cost sharing formula," McIver said.

Under the police funding regulation, municipalities had to pay $69.8 million this year.

While the actual cost of policing – with no changes in the services provided – will be $27 million more in 2025, McIver said the province is temporarily going to cover that additional expense.

"With the costs frozen for a year, we look forward to a comprehensive review of the police funding model with our municipal partners. During our review, we will carefully consider all factors to ensure we provide an updated funding model that is sustainable," McIver said.

Spirit River is about 430 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.