Persistence has paid off for the Township of Spallumcheen. The township would not budge in negotiations with the
RCMP over payment for municipal police members after Spallumcheen’s
population rose above 5,000 in the latest census. Those numbers meant
the township would now be responsible for paying for police. “They kept saying we would have to pay for four members
and we’ve said many times ‘wait just a minute, we only want to pay for
three,’” said Mayor Janice Brown. Spallumcheen will be responsible for paying for three
police members for two years, retroactive from April 1, 2012, to March
2014. Coun. Todd York said the move doesn’t mean less police coverage for Spallumcheen. “We have an integrated unit which includes members in
Armstrong,” said York. “We don’t lose a member. Spallumcheen is simply
responsible for paying for three officers. It doesn’t mean less of a
force.” The township had budgeted in its financial plan for 3.5
officers and were going to pay for the members from a combination of
taxation and drawing from reserves. Chief financial officer Brian Freeman-Marsh said talks
with the finance committee over having to pay for less officers means
there won’t be a need to draw from reserves, and that money can be used
to potentially pay for policing in subsequent years.
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