The Wellington OPP Mounted Unit will soon be promoting the local police service around Ontario, but there will be no direct costs to county taxpayers.
The issue came up at county council when councillor Lou Maieron asked if anyone had an answer to his question the previous month about costs for taking the unit outside of Wellington. He believed the county should bill expenses for such travel.
OPP Inspector Scott Smith reported there is no direct cost.
He explained that the OPP covers such costs through its provincial organization. Those include officer pay, and vehicle cost.
Smith said the only thing not covered would be the wear and tear on the horse trailer, which would be difficult to assess on a per trip basis.
He added that the horses will have special blankets with the OPP logo as well as the Wellington County emblem.
Smith said, “The exposure and PR is insurmountable.”
Councillor Walter Trachsel said the province offsets such OPP costs.
“Every major event is covered by the province,” he said of policing expenses.
