Council Supports Dryden Police

Dryden Council has endorsed the Municipal Police Services as the law enforcement agency of choice.
Council voted 3-1 in favour of not entering into a police costing study at Monday night’s Council meeting.
Councilor’s Mary Trist, Martin MacKinnon and Mel Fisher declared a conflict of interest and did not vote.
Mayor Craig Nuttall voted against the resolution and says he’s disappointed with the decision.
Nuttall stresses “its a cloud that will remain over the City for the next few years and Council is delaying what the public really wants”.
Nuttall says he’s received numerous calls and e-mails from concerned citizens and adds its the Councilor’s who voted in favour of the resolution who will have to deal with the public.
At issue for the Mayor is Police Service costs and whether the City is getting bang for its dollar.
Nuttall says a police costing study can’t hurt.
Nuttall says if the Police Service is over budget, he will look at it, and “raise a little hell”.
Anne Tkachyk is the President of the Dryden Police Association and says the 2010 budget was a net $1.4-million after Government grants, not $5-million as originally reported.
She adds its at its lowest level in some 10-years.
Mike Wood, Brian Collins and Ken Moss supported the resolution.
Wood and Collins both said that switching to OPP results in the loss of control and notes he doesn’t want to see more power go to a monopoly.
Moss says he has concerns about rising and fluctuating costs when switching to OPP.
They pointed to reports of soaring costs of OPP policing and growing discontent in several Ontario Municipalities.
The Councilors also talked about the importance of community policing and the extra work officers put into their profession.
They also cited the potential loss of communication jobs.
An amendment was defeated Monday to re-open the issue after four years.
Councilor’s Wood and Collins supported it, while Mayor Nuttall and Councilor Moss voted against it.
The motion was defeated with the vote of the Mayor.