The Mayor of Brockton said relief from higher policing costs related to court security will not be coming from the province.
The Municipality has been pushing for a change to how court security costs are shared, noting that Brockton has paid over $860,000 since 2020 for a service used by all neighbouring towns.
Mayor Chris Peabody provided an update to council on Tuesday about last week's AMO conference, saying that they were unable to meet with the official they wanted to, and that there was no appetite for change at the higher levels.
"We did not get a meeting with the Solicitor General, and the message we got from the [Associate Solicitor General for Auto Theft] — who we were handed over to — was that they're fine with the funding formula with the Municipality paying for court house security and they have no intention of changing it. It will be passed on to our taxpayers, it's a total burden, it's totally wrong," he said.
This year, Bruce County agreed to cover all additional court security costs, but Peabody said there is no guarantee it stays that way.
"The County is covering it now and of course the liability is that the County could always change their mind and force it back to us," he said. "Huron County is aiming that way of not paying. There's a few councillors pushing that agenda, so we have to make sure we don't lose that County funding now and keep it in the budget."
Peabody also said there was no update on the feasibility study for reopening the Walkerton jail, which could help lower prisoner transportation costs over time.
