$4.3 million in policing costs for Leduc annex hard to justify: Edmonton mayor

Edmonton police say they need 25 more constables to effectively patrol lands the city plans to annex from Leduc County.

The planned annexation would add about 80 square kilometres,725 people and cost $4.3 million by 2019, Edmonton police told the city's community services committee Monday.

The police said adding more geography to their patrolarea will affect their ability to respond.

"That could be an injury collision on Highway 19, that could be a break-and-enter in progress on a rural property," Edmonton policeSupt. Chad Tawfiksaid.

Mayor Don Ivesonsaidit would be hard to justify spending the money, considering the citywouldn't be getting that amount from the 725 new taxpayers it would acquire when the land is annexed.

"I think we got a bit of sticker shock, frankly, with what the ask is,"Iveson said.

Right now, the goal is for Edmonton police to respond to calls within seven minutes, 80 per cent of the time.

"When you increase the city's geography by 12 per cent, there's going to be impacts and we have to be able to respond," Tawfik said.

Iveson said he's not convinced the same standard exists in a rural setting.

"It's not what people are used to there," he said. "I question the applicability of a seven-minute response time to quarter sections of largely uninhabited land."

The Leduc annexation deal, signed in June, still has to be approved by the province.

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• Sealed with a kiss: Annexation deal signed by mayors of Edmonton, Leduc County
• Edmonton scales back annexation plans for Leduc County land

Police saidthey will need 18 months to prepare, hire and train new staffto ensure public and officer safety.

Tawfik said police can only express what they feel they needand let council make its decision.

"We will have to do the best we can with what we got," Tawfik said.

The analysis shows the police would need the extra funding starting in 2018.

Iveson asked police and staff for a revised request in February, and said he wants to explore"interim lower level of service" options somewhere between what the RCMP delivernow and what urban Edmonton police provide.