Community Peace Officer Program
Interesting I was reading last weeks council package and
came across the following:
"The Community Peace Officer Program or any Municipal Enforcement if structured properly can be self sufficient and provide a needed service that the community rate payers expect at an affordable price.
For Example:
The City of Cold Lake AB with a population 12,000 has an enforcement division whom work collectively with the local RCMP detachment. They have three CPO's and since the inception of the CPO program three years ago they are now in 2012 experiencing additional revenue generation that will lead to self sufficiency.
The Town of Morinville AB with a population of 8,000 has two CPO's who work collectivity with the local RCMP detachment which are also experiencing the same outcome.
The City of Yellowknife NWT with a population of 20,000 who works collectively with the local RCMP detachment has 6 constables, 2 cpl, 1 manager, 1 parking constable, and two support administration personnel. They conduct the same duties and responsibilities as our CPO's. Therefore to operate this city program only $128,000 was funded by the rate payers.
The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass is no different with two CPO's who also work collectively with the Local RCMP detachment (which we do not financially compensate) compared to the other communities mention above. Our CPO program enhancement will be cost effective, efficient and we will strive towards being self sufficient".
The comments above surprised me for one I see Cold Lake’s
program which was put into place three
years ago, “they are now in 2012 experiencing additional revenue generation
that will lead toward self sufficiency”. Wow, I thought this program was going
to pay for itself? Maybe 5-10 years down the road.
The town of Morinville
has two CPO ’s (they also have about 40% more
people than we do) and they “are also experiencing the same outcome”? Scary
The City of Yellowknife
being compared to the Crowsnest Pass North West
Territory
So being the inquisitive type of person I am I did a little
bit of checking around to see how successful these other programs have been. I
could only find financial information on Cold
Lake
Under their budget for 2012 you can see for yourself,
policing and bylaw services are “far” from paying for themselves under Police
services they have a budget of $1,975,494 with revenue of $682,000 coming in.
Under Animal Control/Bylaw Enforcement they have a budget of $503,967 and
revenue of $60,700 coming in. I think the numbers above show “self sufficiency”
being a long way down the road.
Is this what the Crowsnest
Pass
26 comments:
"Under their (Cold Lake) budget for 2012 you can see for yourself, policing and bylaw services are 'far' from paying for themselves under Police services they have a budget of $1,975,494 with revenue of $682,000 coming in."
That's a budget, meaning projection/estimate. What does the CNP 2012 budget say? I can't seem to find it on the Municipal website.
Dean who did this report for council?
Dean, I don't care if this program pays for itself or not. We have By-laws, and they need to be enforced -- end of story. My guess is that the most vocal opponents are the those who are most likely to get ticketed. Let's clean this place up and move forward, or else we will remain hillbillyville forever.
"structured properly can be self sufficient and provide a needed service that the community rate payers expect at an affordable price"
be self sufficient at an affordable price, doesn't quite make sense to me.
I'm guessing the community rate payers will be paying the affordable price. (taxes and tickets)
my big question is why we needed two peace officers?
maybe start with one and see if we need another.
do we still have the bylaw officer too?
So it looks like they are trying to convince themselves that this program will pay for itself.
The only way in the long run would this program pay for itself is if they are fining people for the smallest infractions.I agree that this place needs to be cleaned up, but 1 bylaw officer or 1 CPO should be able to get the job done. If the bylaws have teeth and you start handing out tickets, word will spread quick enough and everyone will be on board.When you have to write 200,000/year in tickets there is no way that this can happen with out being petty.So either we will all be handed out tickets for really stupid things or they do not generate enough revenue and our property taxes or other fees go up.
I have actually noticed that the whole place is a little cleaner already just with the talk of the CPOs coming.
9:27 Look at the big information package on the budget. Big in generalities small in specifics.
It is all buried under enforcement.
7:31 Clean up Yes. Does that take two Peace Officers? In addition who created the expectations that this program would pay for itself.
2:55 If you read the council minutes it was presented by administration
9:13 the place will get cleaner as tickets are handed out, previous council implemented the Community Standards bylaw with the intent that once enforcement began with the worse offenders. Most people would clean up their acts with a little bit of encouragement. There was never an intent to build our own police department especially when the Province provides us policing for free.
I do not believe that people will clean up "with a bit of encouragement". It does take officers to enforce. I do not mind paying for them. I do mind paying for "Animal Control" as I do not know what they do, which is included with the budget.
9:48
The little "encouragement" I am talking about begins with a little education, followed up by a warning, then if no change a ticket with a hefty fine.
You have never heard me defend the right to live like pigs.
That will not take a $3-400,000 Community Police Force for years to come.
How would you suggest these officers will keep themselves busy after the clean up part of their job is done?
Just read the Promoter. It sounds like they want to be on the highways writing tickets. He brags that they wrote 3500$ worth of tickets at rumrunners days.Most of those tickets were just the little BS types that I hate.And now they will have to write about that same amount every week to break even.Clean up the CNP is good everything else will be horrible.
I just read the Promoter too.
If there was 100 weekends in a year it would be a piece of cake.
Two $3500 is the best they could do with 20,000 people here. How much will they generate in a regular weekend.
People fix up that flaky paint around your windows, make sure you park exactly 12 feet from that stop sign.
Because once the easy money is grabbed how do you think they will pay for themselves.
Mike
Doors Open I wonder how much money that weekend brought in?
I can see a couple of years from now our taxes start to drop based on all this additional revenue coming in.
Enforcement I don't have a problem with, I agree with the earlier comment. They should have tried one Officer seen how it worked then re-evaluated a year later.
Wouldn't that be more of a business type approach to this process. It is very simple to increase the workforce down the road. Much more difficult to decrease it.
Margaret
The consultant recommended:
"only one additional Peace Officer be added at the current time to help build the program"
I agree, we need by-laws and they need to be enforced. Hillbillly it is here, and that's got to change to attract growth and rejuvenation. Speeding is unreal, in town and on the highway. However, heard the peace office is a speeder ion residential streets, goes around corners on 2 wheels in hot new truck. Sounds like he needs a ticket himself....
As for the animal services, I agree that we are paying for theis greatly needed service and we/ the animals are not being protected. Who can we contact to get this department investigated?
Strange on Monday I watched the peace officers up and down main street all day long and stop many vehicles.
Since then I have not seen them. My concern is that there will be periods of intense enforcement to justify the need. But then long periods where they become two more government employees living of the backs of the taxpayers.
20th Ave Blairmore
Just read the Mayor's newsletter everything is better now.
Jack
I just read the Mayor's newsletter too, and see that 'once again' he is big on promises, short of delivery.
More pie-in-the-sky.
JP
Take it easy on our poor mayor!
He's just doing his best; that's really hard when you haven't got a clue to start with. All his consultants are gone and the town has no bench strength for sensible thoughts.
I see they extended the deadline for the Economic Development Board.
Obviously they did not get the candidates they were looking for.
Larry
No one with any self respect will sit on a board (or council) where they are told what to say and think. I do not see the Mayor’s words of wisdom, posted in the news letter on the website or FB page. Anyone know where I can read it at?
To be honest it is refreshing to read the newsletter. Blogs are always so doom and gloom, nice to get the other side of the picture.
They will be posting information on the website that the Ratepayers Association asked for. But it is going to take considerable resources to get all the information. I don't know if this is bad after bad, or what. .
"Considerable Resources"
Isn't there a three year budget in place information should be easy to attain.
Unless the next two years on based on fiction!
Bryan
In the former Soviet Union they did not trust the independent press as well. The party had its own newspaper called Pravda - translates : "The Truth."
There wont be any enforcement of the Community Standards Bylaw until the new enforceable version is passed. This will happen about "when the snow flies". Of course not much can be done while all the dumpyness is covered with snow. But come springtime ... oops - that's getting awfully close to the next election.
I have now read the newsletter and have some thoughts.I hope that everything they speak of will come true.It is a letter of hope.The unfortunate thing is that it reminds me of Bridgecreek. Lots of talk and no action.They speak of Green mountain develpment, CC hotel, Cameron School project, and 50 manufacturing jobs.The mayor also writes about the peace officers, MD of ranchlands joining us, highway 3 being moved.At least they are not saying they are going to build a 5000 seat arena at the lakes.
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