Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is taking it on the chin from political rivals who say the city含羞草研究社檚 $500,000 PR campaign against the Surrey Police Service 含羞草研究社� aka 含羞草研究社淣DP police transition含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社� is expensive political propaganda being funded by already overburdened taxpayers.

The campaign includes social media posts, a direct-mail householder, and electronic billboard displays that, under the heading 含羞草研究社淣DP police transition WILL COST YOU MORE,含羞草研究社� claim it will cost $464 million more over the next 10 years, and forecasts a MASSIVE DOUBLE-DIGIT tax increase meaning LESS $ for schools, health and transit.

含羞草研究社淭he expenditure of something this size should be coming before council in an open council meeting,含羞草研究社� Coun. Linda Annis said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not good use of taxpayers含羞草研究社� money, particularly when the information to me feels like misinformation because it含羞草研究社檚 not based on anything that含羞草研究社檚 come before council.含羞草研究社�

Locke said there含羞草研究社檚 three, maybe four such billboards. Asked if it was voted on in closed council, she replied she 含羞草研究社渃an含羞草研究社檛 speak to that含羞草研究社� but added that the city manager has 含羞草研究社渢he ability to make decisions, discretionary spending. I don含羞草研究社檛 think this is any surprise to anybody that we have to do an information campaign, there含羞草研究社檚 no doubt about it. The public needs to be educated, the public needs to know. They want to know what is the cost of this very unprecedented decision by the solicitor general.含羞草研究社�

Locke added the city through this is 含羞草研究社渄oing the work to be transparent, the very work that should have been done at the beginning. This was all done behind closed doors and never did see the light of day.含羞草研究社�

As for Annis含羞草研究社檚 comment about not seeing this information come before council, Locke said 含羞草研究社淚 think she better go check her notes. I mean, we absolutely know that the $464 million that has come to us, she absolutely knows that.

含羞草研究社淐ouncillor Annis is the one that has been saying it constantly, that there needs to be the numbers, that the numbers need to be shared with the public, that they had to be exposed and so this is a way of doing it and we must do it, the taxpayer needs to know.含羞草研究社�

Meantime, former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, who Locke defeated in the last civic election, issued a statement Wednesday condemning Locke using tax money for 含羞草研究社減artisan political ads.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭hese claims are not just misleading, they含羞草研究社檙e patently false,含羞草研究社� he charged. 含羞草研究社淭he funding for schools, health, and transit falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, not the City of Surrey. This blatant spread of misinformation by Mayor Locke shows a disturbing pattern of deceit, consistent with her previous misinformation about the transition costs and misleading the public and 27 metro Vancouver mayors.含羞草研究社�

The campaign has its supporters.

含羞草研究社淚t needs to be published to the population in Surrey, educating them on the cost of transitioning to a very expensive and unaffordable and wanted Transition for our own police force,含羞草研究社� resident Linda Ypenburg wrote in an email to the Now-Leader.

Last month Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth accused the City of Surrey of being 含羞草研究社渙bstructionist含羞草研究社� against the provincial government含羞草研究社檚 efforts to advance the city含羞草研究社檚 policing transition from the Surrey RCMP to SPS. To that, Locke replied, 含羞草研究社淚 think the challenge that Mr. Farnworth has is he含羞草研究社檚 expecting absolute obedience by cities, and that is patently unfair and we含羞草研究社檙e going to make sure that due diligence is done for the taxpayer, period.含羞草研究社�

The city filed a challenge to the 含羞草研究社榗onstitutionality含羞草研究社� of the provincial government含羞草研究社檚 decision to replace the Surrey RCMP with the Surrey Police Service in B.C. Supreme Court in November.

含羞草研究社淪hould the courts make the decision to stay on track with the transition the public are going to be absolutely hit with enormous taxes and these are going to be taxes imposed on them by the NDP and so we need to make sure the public know the cost,含羞草研究社� Locke said Wednesday.