Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is taking it on the chin from political rivals who say the citysa国际传媒檚 $500,000 PR campaign against the Surrey Police Service sa国际传媒� aka sa国际传媒淣DP police transitionsa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒淣DP police transition WILL COST YOU MORE,sa国际传媒� 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.

sa国际传媒淭he expenditure of something this size should be coming before council in an open council meeting,sa国际传媒� Coun. Linda Annis said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not good use of taxpayerssa国际传媒� money, particularly when the information to me feels like misinformation because itsa国际传媒檚 not based on anything thatsa国际传媒檚 come before council.sa国际传媒�

Locke said theresa国际传媒檚 three, maybe four such billboards. Asked if it was voted on in closed council, she replied she sa国际传媒渃ansa国际传媒檛 speak to thatsa国际传媒� but added that the city manager has sa国际传媒渢he ability to make decisions, discretionary spending. I donsa国际传媒檛 think this is any surprise to anybody that we have to do an information campaign, theresa国际传媒檚 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.sa国际传媒�

Locke added the city through this is sa国际传媒渄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.sa国际传媒�

As for Annissa国际传媒檚 comment about not seeing this information come before council, Locke said sa国际传媒淚 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.

sa国际传媒淐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.sa国际传媒�

Meantime, former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, who Locke defeated in the last civic election, issued a statement Wednesday condemning Locke using tax money for sa国际传媒減artisan political ads.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淭hese claims are not just misleading, theysa国际传媒檙e patently false,sa国际传媒� he charged. sa国际传媒淭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.sa国际传媒�

The campaign has its supporters.

sa国际传媒淚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,sa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒渙bstructionistsa国际传媒� against the provincial governmentsa国际传媒檚 efforts to advance the citysa国际传媒檚 policing transition from the Surrey RCMP to SPS. To that, Locke replied, sa国际传媒淚 think the challenge that Mr. Farnworth has is hesa国际传媒檚 expecting absolute obedience by cities, and that is patently unfair and wesa国际传媒檙e going to make sure that due diligence is done for the taxpayer, period.sa国际传媒�

The city filed a challenge to the sa国际传媒榗onstitutionalitysa国际传媒� of the provincial governmentsa国际传媒檚 decision to replace the Surrey RCMP with the Surrey Police Service in B.C. Supreme Court in November.

sa国际传媒淪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,sa国际传媒� Locke said Wednesday.