Town CAO says he was ‘blown away’ by rising expensesThe Town of Mayerthorpe is expressing concerns over rising policing costs for small Alberta municipalities. Town council discussed the matter following an announced provincial restructuring of the funding model, so towns with less than 5,000 people will cover 22 per cent of costs from 2026 to 2027. Article content“I was blown away,” Chris Leggett, town chief administrative officer (CAO), told council at the Jan. 26 regular meeting. Under the 2025 budget, policing costs were $64,000; Leggett said this will shoot up to $88,275 in 2026, $104,004 in 2027, $159,390 in 2029 and $205,106 in 2030. That money would be generated from a line on Mayerthorpe residents’ property taxes, Leggett told council.