HOW much lower will Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke stoop with her desperate drama to try and stop Surrey Police Service from becoming the City’s police of jurisdiction, especially after both the City and Surrey RCMP were caught with fudged figures by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the latest revelation that the RCMP in BC has 460 empty positions?

On Monday, she said in a press release: “During today’s Finance Committee Meeting, Surrey Council voted to refer the proposed 2023-2027 General Operating and Capital Budget back to staff for revision. In light of the $89.9M announced for Surrey through the provincial Growing Communities Fund, Surrey Council has asked staff to work on reducing the overall proposed property tax increase from 17.5% to no more than 12.5%.”

And then to keep Surrey-ites prejudiced against replacing the RCMP, she first noted: “The new funding from the province will go to capital improvements, such as the third sheet of ice in Cloverdale and in turn decrease the policing surcharge from the proposed 9.5% to 4.5%. The new lower rate, should it pass, will continue to keep Surrey in the bottom third of property taxes in the Metro region.”

Then she brought in her usual drama: “It is important to note that the proposed 2023 budget is built on the unwinding of the Surrey Police Service and maintaining the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in Surrey. Should the police transition be allowed to continue, the extra costs would not be covered in the proposed 2023 budget.”

A revised budget to Surrey Council for consideration will be presented by the staff at the next Regular Council Meeting on April 3.

Mind you, this is the same staff that came up with figures that the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General rejected and asked for more honest numbers!

If Locke and her Surrey Connect councillors can’t handle the finances, then Surrey-ites must demand that the Province take over the administration.