The Mayor of Dryden admits it’s going to be a long process and there’s a lot to absorb in any possible switch in police service.
Council thanked the OPP Costing Proposal team for their presentation Wednesday night, even admitting that some of the costs presented may have been too high.
Greg Wilson says the next step is for the new Council to be sworn-in and to start discussing the issue.
Wilson says one option to determine how much a switch to OPP will cost the City after a three year transition period is hiring a consultant.
He says when consultants go to town on projects like this, they are pretty accurate.
Wilson says Council will have to decide whether they want to go down this path, noting it would cost about $40,000.
He says by his rough calculations on switching to OPP, the City will need $1.6-million extra the first year, $1.2-million the second, $900,000 the third, plus other additional costs.
Wilson suggests they may be in a cost recovery phase after that and that’s what they have to determine.
He notes the OPP have provided them with an online tool so they can project future numbers and possible savings.
Wilson says there will be one or two public meetings with OPP in the New Year, however notes it might not be until February.
However, if Council makes a decision to not proceed with additional research, that will likely come down within a month.
He says there’s so many questions right now and they have to go through all of the data.
Wilson stresses they will ensure the entire process will be done right, they will look at all options, they will make no rash decisions and they will consult with the public and be held accountable.