The Municipality of Lambton Shores, like many other municipalities across the province, is facing a "whopping" increase for OPP services next year.
The proposed 2025 budget for police services involves a 24 per cent (or $703,839) increase from 2024 to $3.67 million, which includes a year-end adjustment of $459,950 from 2023.
Earlier this year, the provincial government ratified collective agreements with the OPP Association, which included an increase in wages and benefits.
Mayor Doug Cook told Sarnia News Today that the increase surprised them. He said the municipality will continue to lobby the provincial government to offer more financial assistance.
"To take responsibility to cover the cost of overtime required to meet our needs and our level of service. We've had discussions with them already but so far we haven't heard back from them as to what their position is on that," he said. "We're hoping that maybe our summer detachment will be more in line with provincial funding as opposed to overtime funding."
In 2023, the cost of overtime was estimated at $178,827 but the reconciled cost ended up being $510,847.
Overtime expenses for 2024 were not included in a recent report presented to council, as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Steve McAuley said it would be included in next year's policing costs report.
In the meantime, Cook and McAuley plan to meet with Lambton OPP officials sometime in November to discuss possible ways to mitigate policing costs, such as reducing overtime.
"We're going to be looking at what our overtime costs are for this year, if there's a way we can reschedule or restructure some of the overtime officers that are coming in, maybe in the off-peak times," said Cook. "We maybe don't need quite as many as we had for this season."
Cook said the cost of policing will be discussed at the next county council meeting. OPP serves multiple other Lambton County municipalities (including but not limited to) St. Clair Township, Petrolia, and Brooke-Alvinston.
During Warwick Township's council meeting on October 28, members were advised that the municipality is facing a 16.5 per cent increase for policing costs in 2025.
"We pay the highest amount in Lambton County, outside of the City of Sarnia, as far as our policing," said Cook during the October 22 council meeting.
During the meeting, McAuley also said they don't have a lot of say with the increased OPP costs.
"It is where it is. Everyone feels the same, I can tell you. As I said, I talked with many CAOs, everyone feels the same. But that's the policing that we get," McAuley said. "We don't have to use OPP, but really we do."
McAuley also clarified that their issue is not with local enforcement.
"Inspector [Chris] Avery has been awesome to work with for us. This isn't a local detachment issue. Our local detachment has been more than supportive of Lambton Shores and what we need," McAuley said.
Lambton Shores originally signed a contract with OPP in 1998. The current contract is set to expire on December 31, 2025.
The policing cost will be discussed as part of the 2025 Lambton Shores Operating Budget deliberations.