Owen Sound council is starting to work on its budget, and Mayor Ian Boddy says the cost of policing will take a big bite out of it.
Boddy says he’s always looking for ways to save money by joining forces with other communities in Grey County.
“We are looking at municipalities that have their own police force, however, (we) are open to other municipalities that have OPP costing that want to be involved. We are not going to limit it,” Boddy says.
Last year Owen Sound’s police service cost more than seven-million-dollars or about $700 per household.
At this point, no formal talks have taken place, but the mayor of West Grey, Christine Robinson, likes the concept, saying the West Grey Police Service is looking to expand.
“I would be open to a discussion with Hanover or Owen Sound, or any other municipality within Grey County that would look at a Grey County-wide police service,” says Mayor Robinson.
Hanover and West Grey have municipal police while the OPP serves Chatsworth, Meaford and the Blue Mountains.
If change is going to happen, local councils need to support the idea before formalized discussions can begin.
“I could see, in the long term, maybe we would end up with a Grey County police force that would be looking after all of Grey County. But that is a long way off,” says Boddy.
Currently, the municipalities served by the OPP have some of the lowest policing costs in Grey County.
