Regional police requesting another increase to their budget in 2024
Posted Jul 11, 2023 05:00:12 AM.
Last Updated Jul 11, 2023 05:36:15 AM.
A presentation regarding the 2024 police budget is set for Wednesday’s Waterloo Regional Police Services Board meeting.
After the regional police budget was one councillor vote away from being sent back to police in February, the WRPS is back requesting another increase to their budget.
The region agreed to boost police spending in 2023 by more than $18 million to $214 million and approve the hiring of 19 new officers. Now, regional police are looking for an eight per cent increase for 2024, totaling over an additional $17.1 million.
The report outlines their reasons for needing this increase. It says inflation, salary adjustments, phased-in increases to medical benefits and new policing technology like body and in-car cameras are all costs the force will have to face next year.
Their three-year plan forecasts a six per cent increase for next year, and subsequent three per cent hikes for 2025 and 2026, but the eight per cent number comes with the adjustment for the recruitment of 18 officers next year. The plan is for another 18 officers to be hired in 2025.
The 2023 operating budget was almost rejected with a motion from regional councillor Rob Deutschmann, who argued the region should not be paying for full-time officers who hadn’t even been hired yet.
Deliberations for next year’s budget begin in October.
You can read the report in the agenda for Wednesday’s Waterloo Regional Police Services Board meeting here.
