Merritt will not lose 24-hour policing after council votes to keep RCMP funding

Photo: Glacier Media

Merritt will keep 24-hour policing after an 11th-hour decision by city council staved off RCMP cuts, resulting in a potential 12 per cent property tax hike.

After much debate and discussion, council voted on Tuesday to make no cuts to the city’s RCMP spending, keeping the budget for a 17-member detachment.

Mayor Mike Goetz said the decision will help the community as it grows.

“I think we have to look forward to our growth,” he said. “The next two years could see 450 to 500 new people coming to this community.”

It comes after 2024 saw a five-year high in crime rates across the city.

A property tax increase of 12 per cent would be required to fund the detachment. The budget has not yet been finalized and service reductions to other city departments or services could be taken to lessen the tax hike.

Tough choice for council

It was far from an easy decision to balance the safety of the community and the financial burden on taxpayers.

The alternative choice would have seen the city adjusting their budget for fewer active officers while still maintaining a 17-member contract with the RCMP.

Merritt’s detachment currently has 14 Mounties. Council considered budgeting for 15 members and putting the savings aside in a reserve fund for protective services — policing and fire protection.

If additional members were to be added to the detachment then funds would be taken out of the reserve to pay for it.

Coun. Manuel Olguin said he thought the reduction would give the city “a financial buffer” without over-committing to RCMP positions that might never be filled.

“Any surplus can be placed in a restricted reserve for protected services, ensuring flexibility if additional staff is needed at a later date,” he said.

The city is required to pay 70 per cent of the Merritt detachment’s costs, with the federal government covering the remainder.

Top cop says thanks

The City of Merritt is currently allocating nearly $3.5-million of their annual budget into the RCMP detachment, with that number expected to rise in the coming years.

As the federal government attempts to modernize the RCMP across the country, municipalities have no choice but to allocate funds to these upgrades.

For example, an annual allocation of about $14,500 for the next five years is being put into a reserve fund for Tasers alone. Another $26,000 over the next five years is also being put toward the cost of body-worn cameras.

“We have no say in what they get — that is negotiated between the police and the federal government,” Merritt CAO Cynthia White said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Merritt RCMP Staff Sgt. Joshua Roda said he recognizes that it was a difficult decision for the mayor and council to make. He said he is thankful he was given the opportunity to provide the facts of the situation.

Roda previously told council the detachment would be forced to switch from 24-hour policing to an on-call model if the cuts went through.