The Delta Police Department continues its push to have a cell phone levy to help fund E-Comm costs.
A recent report by Chief Neil Dubord to the Delta Police Board notes that since the department’s transition to E-Comm in 2015, there “have been numerous issues with E-Comm failing to meet the established service standards.”
As a result, Delta police had to manage non-emergency call taking during peak hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) which “has imposed significant operational and financial burdens” on the department necessitating training and equipping staff, responsibilities that E-Comm was expected to handle.
The police department has not received any financial adjustments to the contract for taking back non-emergency call-taking, while E-Comm continues to place additional costs without first resolving its operational issues.
His report also notes that Delta police, and by extension, the community through municipal taxes, has faced annual fee increases resulting in unplanned financial costs that exceed the budget projections provided by E-Comm.
E-Comm attributes the increases to growing call volumes and necessary, costly technology improvements, but it is an unsustainable funding model, according to Dubord,
To address the issue, Delta police have been actively pursuing the implementation of a 911 cell phone levy throughout B.C., a proposal that is still before the provincial government.
Cell phone levies are already in place in several Canadian provinces, providing a stable and equitable funding source for emergency communication services, ranging from 52 cents in Quebec to just over $2 in Saskatchewan.
“In other provinces, this levy has proven effective in enhancing public safety and emergency response capabilities without imposing additional financial burdens on municipalities. Implementing a similar levy in B.C. would ensure E-Comm’s ability to meet the growing demands of our communities, invest in necessary technological advancements, and maintain the high standards of emergency communication services that communities throughout B.C., including Delta, deserve,” the report adds.
The BC Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) has formally written to the province, requesting the implementation of a levy, while the Delta Police Board has reached out to the BC Association of Police Boards (BCAPB), requesting that BCAPB also advocate for the levy.
“If this matter remains unresolved, it will continue to exacerbate the undue burden on our community through the property tax base in the future,” the report adds.
