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Mayor says role on OPS board doesn’t alter stance on OPP

January 28, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By James Matthews

Orangeville Mayor Sandy Brown would have liked somebody else at the helm of the board that oversees the town’s police.

The current Orangeville Police Service Board has Mayor Brown as chairperson, Councillor Todd Taylor as vice-chairperson, and members Joanne Jordan, Ken Krakar, and Ian McSweeney.

Historically, the board’s chairperson has been the mayor. That’s how it was for a spell when Jeremy Williams was mayor and so it was with former mayor Rob Adams before him.

But Mayor Brown said he hopes he could vacate the chairperson position within the year.

“My feeling is this is an interim position for me,” he said. “I wanted to see a change in the chair because I didn’t like the direction the board was going in recent years. Much like how it’s nice to have a clean slate on council.”

Mayor Brown said it was hoped Mr. McSweeney could assume the chairperson’s responsibilities. But he is chairperson of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and the province’s ethics tsar deemed he would be in conflict chairing both entities.

The mayor said Mr. McSweeney is a tremendous asset to the police services board, even as a regular member.

Then it was thought Coun. Taylor would lead the board. But, with various professional commitments outside council and his inexperience on council, Mayor Brown said Taylor felt he wasn’t ready for the added responsibility.

One of the central planks in the mayor’s campaign platform last year was the desire to revisit the possibility of disbanding the Orangeville Police Service (OPS) in favour of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Mayor Brown said his role as OPSB chairperson doesn’t change his rationale for lobbying to get another OPP costing analysis.

Orangeville’s last council voted to retain the municipal police, despite an OPP costing analysis that indicated savings to taxpayers of more than $4 million after the initial start-up years. Given those savings, the town’s chief administrative officer and its treasurer endorsed availing of OPP services.

And, Mayor Brown said, the possibility of such savings is why taxpayers deserve a closer look at possibly inking a policing contract with the provincial force.

“I respect them (OPS),” the mayor said. “I respect the work that they do here in Orangeville.”

Revisiting the OPS-OPP debate “is not a slight against the police service,” the mayor said.

Any savings from policing – which is the largest expense on the town’s annual budget – could be used to address Orangeville’s infrastructure needs.

The town’s 2015 Fire Master Plan identified a number of recommendations to improve the Orangeville Fire Department, which also serves Mono, Amaranth, and East Garafraxa. The greatest strain on the municipal capital budget would be the plan’s call for a new fire station.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg as there’s always work needed on and below municipal roads. Tax savings could also be used to address residents’ needs of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“We’re one of the most highly taxed towns in Ontario,” said Mayor Brown. “That money can be used in other ways to benefit residents.”


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