Funding for five additional RCMP officers and eight additional firefighters won't be on the table when city council considers its budget for 2012 in February.
On Monday night the city's committee of the whole unanimously agreed to reject the RCMP's request to fund the replacement of five general duty officers, who left to create a Downtown Enforcement Unit in April 2010.
"I don't think there is any appetite to increase any additional members," Coun. Cameron Stolz said.
Stolz said, given the 5.13 per cent tax increase anticipated just to maintain services at existing levels, city council has to control its discretionary spending.
Also rejected was funding for 24-hour-a-day, seven-day a week staffing for the fire department's ladder truck.
"I'd love to have five new [RCMP] members and I'd love to have the ladder truck," Coun. Shari Green said. "[But] if we were just to hand this over to the next council, we may as well hand in our laptops because all nine of us would be gone."
Coun. Dave Wilbur said the city is facing further uncertainty about the costs of the RCMP contract, which is currently being negotiated between the provincial and federal governments. With that uncertainty, he said, it would be hard to support increasing the number of RCMP in the city.
"We really don't have a handle on what that cost might be. If it's going to change, all the pressure is up," Wilbur said. "[But] I'm a little uncomfortable that we're coming at it a few weeks before the election. I don't want to tie the hands of that council."
The committee of the whole recommendations must be officially passed during a city council meeting to take force. The recommendations will be brought to a future meeting of council for official
approval.
RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs said he will wait until that decision is made official before commenting on the issue.
"I'm a realist ... but I'd rather not comment until the decision is made official," Stubbs said. "Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks."
Last week Stubbs outlined options for the future of the highly-successful Downtown Enforcement Unit.
Without new funding, the remaining options included maintaining the status quo with the strain on the Serious Crimes Unit and general-duty watches, cutting back the downtown unit to three members or disbanding it entirely.
Funding all five officers in the unit would cost $560,718 in 2012 and $768,125 in 2013. Funding three positions would cost $336,431 in 2012 and $460,875 in 2013.
Prince George Fire Chief John Lane could not be reached for comment as of press time. The funding request is part of the fire department's plan to achieve National Fire Protection Association standards by 2013.
"With the current construction of a six-storey residential building downtown, the anticipated 10-story Wood Innovation and Design Centre ... staffing the ladder truck on a permanent basis is worthy of further consideration," city staff advised council in a report. "This would ensure that the ladder truck is always available to respond without delay."
The cost of funding the ladder truck positions was projected to cost $230,000 in 2012 and $600,000 in 2013.
Coun. Murry Krause said if the new council elected on Nov. 19 wants to put those two initiatives back on the agenda to discuss during budget talks in February, it can.
"These are hard decisions to make, and we're elected to make them," Krause said.
Budget options
Councillors also requested city staff present council with budget alternatives to limit tax increases to two, three and four per cent. Based on cost projections, the city would have to increase property taxes by 5.13 per cent to maintain current service levels.
"If we were to support this, obviously it would lead to service-level reductions," Mayor Dan Rogers said.
"We're not likely to reduce the RCMP or close a fire hall. We have contractual obligations, so pretty quickly we get into community services. I think we should be clear, if we want services cut we should specify where we want those
services cut."
Council referred the work to the city finance and audit committee to prepare options to achieve the limited increases.
Protective services - RCMP and the fire department - will not be included in those cuts.
However the 2015 Canada Winter Games special levy, which was instituted last year and set to rise by $773,000 to approximately $2 million per year, will potentially be on the chopping block.
Rogers said the committee should also look at alternatives to taxation, such as fees, to increase revenue.
"We as a community rely on our tax levy to a slightly higher percentage than our peer communities and that is partially due to that fee structure," Roger said.
Councillors requested that the work by done by early next year, to allow for public consultation prior to the budget process in February.
"If cuts are going to happen, it's going to effect the community," Coun. Murry Krause said.
"I'm still very concerned about where this is going. I'd prefer options of three or four per cent - they are still dramatic cuts."
