By ROY WOOD
In a little over four years, Oliver residents will likely be in for a tax shock as the town’s share of policing costs more than doubles as the population crosses the magic 5,000 mark.
Preparations are well under way, most recently with a Monday visit from the provincial public safety ministry offering town council a glimpse into the costly future.
Towns in BC with populations under 5,000 pay about 30 per cent of the costs of policing their communities. Municipalities with between 5,000 and 14,999 residents pay 70 per cent.
In the most recent national census, taken in 2016, Oliver skated just under the 5,000. It is widely anticipated that next time, in 2021, the town’s population will exceed 5,000 and move the town into the 70-per-cent cohort.
Considering the prospect, Mayor Ron Hovanes said: “We’ll make it though this, but it’s not going to be pretty.”
Gayle Armstrong and Christal Englender from the provincial public safety ministry assured council Monday that, as the 2021 census approaches, the ministry will monitor the situation and if it looks like Oliver will top 5,000, staff will be in close touch to help the town through the process.
The data from the 2021 census is expected to be released in early February 2022. The deadline for signing the contract with the province will be April 1, 2022.
Armstrong noted the short time frame and said it is important for the town and the province to be working together a year or more beforehand.
According to their presentation, the ministry will prepare police information packages for the town that will include:

• Information on the current police service and structure;
• Recommended minimum staffing levels for town policing;
• Information on the contract to be signed between the town and the province; and
• Estimated costs to the town of policing services.

The town has been expecting the increase in policing costs for some time, including an item in the Strategic Plan aimed at making financial preparations for the eventuality.
Chief financial officer Devon Wannop has prepared a series of options that would see the town begin to increase taxes before 2022 and put money aside to soften the tax hit. Whether and how soon council decides to begin building such a reserve will be debated during budget discussions early in the new year.
The talks could be lively since at least one council member is not inclined toward such contingency taxation.
Dave Mattes, winner of the recent by-election to fill the seat vacated by the retiring Jack Bennest, said in an interview last month: “For myself I don’t believe in raising taxes until you need to. So, as harsh as the blow might be, it’s best to do it when it arrives, when we need to.”
(Mattes did not attend Monday’s meeting, being out of the country on a long-planned family vacation.)
Englender warned that it is difficult to make direct comparisons between municipalities because of demographic and other differences.
However, the population in Osoyoos jumped over the 5,000 mark in the last census. Policing costs for an average homeowner were $83 in 2016. In 2018, the first full year under the 70-30 cost split with the province, the amount will be $227.