Reeve says public should know how much they pay for policing [Video]

An Alberta municipality says it wants to tell ratepayers how much of their taxes are being spent on policing costs, but Municipal Affairs is taking issue with its disclosure.

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Nick van Rootselaar, deputy reeve of the M.D. of Spirit River, said his administration has tried to be upfront with residents about costs and the reasons for mill rate adjustments.

Like many municipalities, policing is a large, and growing, expense for Spirit River.

van Rootselaar said staff have been showing the policing invoice as a requisition on taxation bylaws and tax notices, “and getting their knuckles wrapped by Municipal Affairs for doing so.”

The Municipal Government Act’s definition of a requisition includes amounts required to be paid in relation to education, housing, and industrial property assessment.

Because policing isn’t named in the Act, Municipal Affairs says …