PUTTING THE 'BUD' IN BUDGET

Surrey is floating the concept of recovering the considerable costs
of busting marijuana grow operations located in private homes.

A five-year plan discussed last week includes the possibility of
"cost recovery from property owners for illegal operations."

It proposes that after police raid a local grow operation, the city
would send the registered owners of the property a bill for the cost
of the bust.

While an exact figure on the potential revenue isn't known, Surrey
officials estimate it would be in the thousands of dollars.

So far this year, police have raided 40 homes with grow operations
and have seized more than 10,000 plants.

Each of those raids costs more than $600 in police time. If all of
the homes raided so far this year were charged the proposed fee, it
would bring in $24,000 to city coffers.

The concept comes as the city discusses a five-year budget that for
the first time in eight years includes a tax increase. That 2.9 per
cent "public safety tax" is planned for 2003, but Coun. Judy
Higginbotham told The Leader on Monday it could come as soon as next
year.