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Victoria council floats $1.7 million cut to draft police budget

Several hirings would be scuttled under proposal Victoria council is discussing. Police board had refused to reduce its budget request, prompting councillors to step in.
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Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

In an effort to trim costs and bring the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board budget into line with other city departments, Victoria council has indicated to the board that it will not fund several budget items, including seven new personnel, which would cut $1.7 million from the police draft financial plan.

In a special council meeting Monday night, held to consider how to respond to the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board’s refusal to trim its budget as the city had requested, Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto suggested the police force could do without six of the seven new personnel it wanted funding for along with cuts to several programs.

Alto’s motion also suggested funding would be provided for only two of the three new frontline officers the department had requested.

The personnel budgeted for in the draft police budget included a financial analyst at $85,000 a year, a police file archivist at $56,250, a records supervisor at $92,000 and a training specialist at $89,000. Funding for three officers was budgeted at $425,000.

Alto suggested de-funding a body-worn camera pilot project that was to start this year, which would save $150,000.

Other cuts suggested include trimming building maintenance to $321,000, saving about $640,000; reducing the budget for contract workers to $1.26 million from $1.6 million; and trimming the capital budget to $1.2 million from $1.5 million.

Esquimalt council, which shares the cost for policing with Victoria, was considering similar cuts to the budget Monday ­evening. Esquimalt also suggested the department could do without funding for the seven positions along with program cuts.

Alto said the cuts reflected a seven per cent trim to the police board’s draft budget, which is the directive that was sent to all city departments.

In making the suggestions, Alto, the co-chair of the police board, said she was disappointed the board would not reassess their 2023 budget needs as other city departments had already done.

The draft police budget ­had requested a 9.6 per cent increase in costs to $69.5 million, driven largely by increased salaries. VicPD also requested funding for the seven new staff — four civilian ­personnel and three frontline officers. ­

Victoria council, in an effort to limit the property tax increase, directed its staff to rewrite a draft budget to limit any tax hike for 2023 to 6.9 per cent; the first draft budget would have required a tax increase of as much as nine per cent.

“I’m also quite disappointed that the police board is taking what I would consider to be a fairly passive approach to what I would’ve called sound fiscal management and oversight of the draft budget, which in my view disregards the financial limitations of Victoria’s property taxpayers,” Alto said.

Under the Police Act city council has the right not to approve items in the draft police budget.

Alto said she expects trimming of the police budget will lead to a lengthy appeal process that will ultimately have the province decide what will and won’t be funded.

“And let me be very clear, these changes do not mean that these items can never be done. It’s suggesting that this isn’t the year to do them, and that they can come back for consideration in next year’s budget,” she said.

Victoria is responsible for 86.33 per cent of the police budget, with ­Esquimalt picking up the rest of the tab.

aduffy@timescolonist.com

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