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North Battleford census results could have costly implications

Apr 29, 2016 | 5:00 PM

North Battleford has been hovering just under 15,000 people since 1981, but if population numbers meet that amount, the city will have to pay more for policing.

“Based on population rage, if you get over 15,000 people, the town goes from paying 70 per cent of the RCMP cost to 90 percent,” Jim Puffalt, City Manager, said. “It’s a large amount of money. We have 36 officers and going from 70 to 90 per cent is a substantial amount of cash.”

Puffalt wasn’t able to speculate what the end result would be if it happened but said it wouldn’t take effect for a couple of years, giving the city time to plan for it.

Puffalt explained that on the plus side some of the city’s revenue sources are on based on per capita amounts. If population numbers rise, funding will be increased to meet the demand. The census also gives City Hall an idea of demographics to help them design programs to appeal to its locals.