The Town of Bancroft’s Capital and Operating Budget will increase this year.
Mayor Paul Jenkins says the increased costs are directly related to police, who’ve seen an increase in calls for service over the past year. Many of these were due to underlying issues the town has, which Jenkins committed to working with multiple levels of government to help solve. He stresses that it is not the police itself to blame, rather the use of resources needed in policing issues such as addiction and mental health. He says the increase is related to the provincial funding model that distributes money to the OPP.
Jenkins says that this will result in a 3% increase in taxes for residents, 2/3rds going to policing costs. The rest will go to development projects, the new library, and downtown revitalization. Jenkins praised staff for keeping the costs at bay as much as they could.