The Town and County of Antigonish updated residents on what the municipalities learned regarding policing contracts for a consolidated municipal unit.
Throughout the engagement sessions set up to look at the possibility of the two municipalities
consolidating, both the County and Town acknowledged the potential for consolidation to change the costs associated with their respective policing contracts.
A release from the municipalities issued Monday states engagement with the provincial and federal governments, as well as independent legal counsel, identified that a new municipality would require a new contract for RCMP services which would result in additional costs with no changes to the level of service for the Antigonish area. However, using the same collaborative consolidation process but dissolving the Town of Antigonish, and retaining the legal name of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish would eliminate the need for a new contract and avoid approximately $1 million in additional costs per year.
Currently, the Town and County have their own, separate contracts with the RCMP. Each unit has a 70/30 funding formula meaning each municipal unit covers 70 percent of the contract and the federal government covers the remaining 30 percent of the costs. This funding formula would continue under a consolidated municipality.
If both Councils decide to move forward, the consolidated municipal unit would be legally called the Municipality of the County of Antigonish. All other aspects of consolidation would remain the same.
Antigonish Town Mayor Laurie Boucher said both councils knew policing costs would be a matter that required investigation since the beginning of the consolidation process.
Antigonish County Warden Owen McCarron called the potential for cost saving good news.
The Town and County stated public engagement findings will be released later this week in a What We Heard Report that will be available for comment until September 29th. Councils are preparing to vote on whether to consolidate this fall.