As the District of Lake Country grows so does its need for a new RCMP building.

Image Credit: Google maps

Last year the town of Oliver boosted taxes by 9% to help pay almost $1 million extra in policing costs because its population grew past the 5,000 mark.

That puts them in the same category as Armstrong, Osoyoos and Spallumcheen which passed that threshold after the 2016 census and, therefore, had to pick up 70% of the cost of the RCMP.

Now the District of Lake Country is facing a doubling of its police bill for a slightly different reason.

It passed the 15,000 population mark in the 2021 census so now moves from paying 70% of the cost of policing to 90%, joining big cities like Kamloops and Kelowna.

The change also means Lake Country now has to pick up even more RCMP expenses rather than having the costs “pooled.”

“Municipalities over 90% are also responsible for 100% of costs of certain services including detachment buildings, cells and support staff,” says a report that went to District of Lake Country council on Jan. 3.

“Some of the costs included in the 90% cost base include: members' pay and allowances, employer contributions to member pension and benefits, transportation, professional and special services, major crime investigations, equipment, recruit training costs and some administration costs. Forecasting a transition from 70% to 90% cannot be done by simply increasing the projected budget by an additional 20%.”

That, along with one additional officer, is adding $1.28 million to policing costs this year. In 2022 it paid $2.52 million for policing.

By 2027, with another five officers expected to be hired, that will more than double the 2022 policing budget to $5.39 million.

While the District has been building a police reserve fund in anticipation of the increase costs, there will be a tax impact this year. The report does not say what that impact will be.

These costs don’t include the fact that the current RCMP office in Lake Country, which is a converted bank, needs to be replaced at the District’s expense.

The next community in the Thompson-Okanagan that’s likely to hit that 15,000 threshold is Summerland.

In the 2021 census it had 12,042 residents and a growth rate over the five-year census period of 3.7%. At that rate of growth, it still has a couple of decades to plan for the change.

In terms of towns approaching the 5,000 population level, Enderby is the closest of any within the Thompson-Okanagan region.

But, with a 2021 population of 3,028 and a 2.2% growth rate, it’s got a long ways to go before it has to chip into the kitty to pay for its RCMP service.

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