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Council questions cash for cops

The City of Nelson is asking the province to help pay for the Nelson Police Department.
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City council discussed funding for municipal police forces on Monday.

The City of Nelson is asking the province to help pay for the Nelson Police Department.

Currently cities like Nelson and Vancouver pay for 100 per cent of their municipal police force, while communities that use the RCMP like Castlegar and Trail pay between 70 and 90 per cent of their policing costs.

Council passed a resolution that will be sent to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities calling on the organization to “work with the Province of British Columbia to change the process for funding municipal police services so that municipalities with their own police forces receive the same subsidies as those who contract with the RCMP.”

Councillor Kim Charlesworth was concerned about how RCMP department heads would respond to the resolution.

“Municipalities may attempt to negotiate less funding to the RCMP,” she said.

Councillor Donna Macdonald said the province used to contribute to the cost of the municipal police force, and was curious as to why this ended.

City manager Kevin Cormack said that it changed when the government changed its formula for small community grants.

“Rural areas will be getting a good deal,” said Macdonald. “It doesn’t appear to me that rural areas are paying their share at all.”

Cormack responded by saying that Nelson police officers do respond outside of the city.

Mayor John Dooley said that rural residents likely feel they pay taxes and should receive the services.

Councillor Robin Cherbo said that he believes BC pays less to municipalities than any other province.

He also asked if the British Columbia Association of Police Boards had looked at how provinces like Ontario handle similar issues.

The resolution will be forwarded to the Union of BC Municipalities for consideration at their 2011 convention.