Hawkesbury won’t have to pay as much next year for police services after all.
Council reviewed a letter from Solicitor General Michael Kerzner during its December 9 council meeting. Kerzner indicated in his letter that the provincial government heard and listened to the message of complaint from Hawkesbury and other Ontario munipalities about the severe increase in the cost of police services with the OPP.
Kerzner noted that recent contract agreements between the province and the Ontario Provincial Police Association are intended to provide support for OPP members and detachments throughout the province. He also stated that his ministry understands “the impact these (contract) changes are having on the budgets of municipalities that are served by the OPP, including your own.”
The solicitor general confirmed that the provincial government will provide more than $77 million in financial relief to all municipalities that contract with the OPP. This financial aid is the result of adjustments to the billing for OPP services in 2023 to all its municipal clients and also a 10-per-cent reduction of 2025 invoice amounts to municipalities.
For Hawkesbury, that means $503,536 worth of financial relief to the original OPP bill of $3,352,565 for 2025 policing services. The municipality will now pay instead $2,849,030, which works out to about $3000 more than its 2024 OPP bill.
“It’s good news for all municipalities,” said Mayor Robert Lefebvre, regarding Kerzner’s announcement.
“The province will also be examining options for reviewing the OPP billing model,” stated Kerzner, “to ensure that it meets the needs of communities across the province.”
The mayor and the rest of council welcomed this promise from the solicitor general. Mayor Lefebvre said that the current formula used to calculate OPP policing bills do not reflect the difference in cost for police services for small urban clients like Hawkesbury and other more rural municipalities in Ontario.
2025 Budget to be reviewed
Hawkesbury Council adopted its 2025 municipal budget, which included a 9.83 per cent tax levy increase, adding $1.23 million in property taxes. However, because of the change in how policing will be funded, the budget will be revised in early 2025 to account for the newly announced provincial funding
The approved operating budget for 2025 totals $26.87 million, a 7.25 per cent increase from 2024. Council adopted the budget early to ensure operational expenditures proceed without delay, with adjustments to the levy planned once funding is finalized.
The revised budget will be presented in January or February, with interim tax bills issued in March based on 2024 rates. Final tax rates will be adopted in May, and adjusted bills will follow in September.
