Municipal and provincial politicians in B.C. say they've been caught off guard by Ottawa's decision to offer Mounties a pay raise.
If the hike goes through, Prince George Mayor Shari Green said Friday it will be passed onto the city, "because we pay 90 per cent of the bill in Prince George.
"So any change in their rate will affect us and it will impact our budget."
But Attorney General Shirley Bond says the Harper government has reassured her the decision is unlikely to increase costs in B.C. and may, in fact, result in a net benefit.
Bond says the province is asking for a clarification as soon as possible.
The development comes just weeks after six provinces, including B.C., and three territories signed a new 20-year policing deal with Ottawa.
B.C. had threatened to ditch the Mounties and set up its own provincial police force if Ottawa didn't meet its demands for a greater say in how the RCMP manages its local operations.
Langley Mayor Peter Fassbender, who sat as an observer during the talks, says he found out about the wage hikes earlier this week and then informed the province.
A new 20-year deal between the provincial and federal governments for RCMP services was reached in March.
As it stands, the contract includes a 0.69-per-cent cost increase for municipalities with more than 15,000 residents in its first year which will translated into a $123,000 increase in Prince George's policing costs.
The previous 20-year contract expired March 31 but municipalities have until April 30 to review and sign off on the new contract. If city council doesn't sign the contract, the city will have two years to develop a municipal police force.
The federal government pays 10 per cent of the contracted policing costs for municipalities with 15,000 people or more, and 30 per cent for smaller municipalities and rural areas.
The city's RCMP contract with the provincial and federal government accounted for $17.8 million of the city's total $21.8 million policing budget.
-- with files from Canadian Press
