Rocky View County council is hoping a new memorandum of understanding with the RCMP will clarify expectations for the policing services the municipality receives.
On Jan. 8, councillors agreed to enter into a new three-year agreement with the RCMP. The agreement provides one additional RCMP member at the Airdrie detachment who will service the Balzac business area, CrossIron Mills mall and surrounding area.
While the main focus is on Balzac, the officer is imbedded with the Airdrie Rural detachment which works in conjunction with the Beiseker Detachment and does work in other areas of the county when needed.
The County pays for 70 per cent of the cost of an officer, which is currently estimated at $138,000. The remaining funds come from the federal government. The actual cost for the 2013-14 year will be determined this spring. The amount includes the officer’s vehicle.
“We need to renegotiate the memorandum of understanding (MOU)” said Councillor Lois Habberfield during council discussion.
The MOU determines the duties and responsibilities of the RCMP member employed under the agreement. Habberfield said the previous MOU outlines general duties for the officer and said council needs to specify what it would like to see.
“We have an obligation to provide a safe community and this is one way to do it,” said Habberfield, adding having an officer dedicated to the area is something the residents and businesses in east Balzac have appreciated.
The County also pays for a member out of the Cochrane detachment to work on the west side of Rocky View.
Now that the agreement has been approved, work can start on the MOU.
Councillor Margaret Bahcheli said she was concerned about creating the MOU after the agreement has been approved. She said the MOU should be brought before council before signing an agreement for a better chance to negotiate. If the County decides to break the agreement before the three years is up, it would be responsible for all expenses of relocation of a police officer anywhere in Alberta.
Councillor Greg Boehlke said this agreement is “a long way off from having full-time coverage,” and asked the Acting County Manager Ted Gard, what his thoughts were on the agreement.
Gard agreed it’s “not a policing solution” and said it’s just one person who works a 40-hour work week.
“We have not been that specific (in the past),” he said when entering into a MOU and said they have been “hoodwinked” by detachments wanting to use them in the City of Airdrie.
“I believe with the new deal, we can be more specific,” he said, adding he hopes the agreement will better suit the County than the previous one.
