COP COSTS WORTH LOOKING AT

Kudos to Amherstburg in expressing curiosity about what potential savings might be gleaned by taking the town’s policing in a new direction. Investigating the idea of either a contract with the Ontario Provincial Police or of a joint venture with Windsor Police Service both come with the same price tag to local taxpayers — zero. Mayor Aldo DiCarlo said it’s “crazy” not to get free costings on such alternatives to the current town police force. But such a search for savings would appear too crazy for LaSalle. Mayor Ken Antaya said there’s zero interest in even looking at Windsor’s costing offer or any other alternative to the town police status quo.

And that proposed 4.5 per cent local tax hike for LaSalle property owners in the new year? That’s not crazy either — in fact, according to Antaya, it’s just part of some “perfect storm” of necessary spending increases at the municipal level.

Councils in Leamington in 2010, and before it Essex, determined it was better and cheaper to switch from town cops to OPP, despite local political backlash. In the county, only LaSalle and Amherstburg don’t have OPP contracts.

LaSalle residents might surely be happy with their town police force. But if the same or better quality service can be had by teaming up regionally with the neighbours, and in so doing realize big savings for local taxpayers, then why not have a free look-see? If there are big potential savings to be had — without a corresponding compromise on policing service levels — then LaSalle’s politicians and the taxpayers they represent will at least be open-eyed when it comes to continuing to approve tax hikes.

Policing isn’t the only area where Windsor has issues with its immediate neighbours when it comes to looking for regional solutions.

Lakeshore for years has wanted to work with Windsor to address regional public transit demands, particularly a bus service connecting Belle River and Essex County’s north shore to the jobs, shopping, post-secondary education and other amenities in the city.

But Tecumseh, which lies between the two, has shown no interest in even studying the matter. And while Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens is confident big savings can be found for Amherstburg taxpayers with a shared police service, wouldn’t it make even more sense to include that other municipality located between the two?

With neighbours like these, planning and execution of the $2-billion mega-hospital plan on the horizon could be interesting.