City of Cold Lake council has voted to let the security agreement for the Energy Centre parking areas expire, rejecting a proposal that would have shifted most overnight security costs onto the City.

 

The decision was made at the Dec. 9 council meeting after Portage College and Northern Lights School Division requested a new cost-sharing model that would have increased the City’s share from one-third to more than 60 per cent.

 

Cost Shift Rejected

 

The request came through the Governance Operating Committee, which oversees shared spaces on the multi-use campus and includes equal representation from the City, Portage College, and NLSD. The committee proposed reallocating security costs based on each partner’s physical footprint, a change that would raise the City’s contribution to roughly 61 per cent.

 

According to City administration, the revised model would have added about $40,000 per year to the City’s budget, not including inflation. The security service covers overnight hours at the Energy Centre parking areas on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

 

City Pushes Back

 

CAO Kevin Nagoya explained the original agreement was built on the principle that shared campus spaces should have shared costs. While the City initially opposed having staffed overnight security due to cost, it agreed to the arrangement to support students and staff.

 

Nagoya told council the City would be the only partner seeing a significant increase under the new proposal, while the other institutions sought relief from rising costs.

 

Administration reiterated its position that staffed patrols may not be the most effective approach for the area and said that view has not changed.

 

Council Raises Concerns

 

Several councillors expressed discomfort with the proposed cost increase. Coun. Vicky Lefebvre said the City did not request the security service in the first place and should not be expected to take on a larger share of the costs.

 

She also noted the City has already absorbed additional security expenses in other areas and said the original one-third split was reasonable.

 

Coun. Raymond Cowell questioned how the new cost percentages were determined and was told no formal analysis had been completed beyond a review of parking lot space.

 

Coun. Bill Parker supported stepping away from the agreement entirely, saying if other partners want security, they should arrange it independently.

 

Next Steps

 

Council ultimately approved a motion directing administration to allow the security service agreement for the Energy Centre parking areas to lapse and to explore alternative security options in the future.

 

The City indicated it remains open to future discussions with campus partners but said the proposed cost increase was not sustainable under current budget pressures.