The Peterborough Police Services Board says rising costs for policing have prompted a request for a 15.3 per cent budget increase in 2024.
The board met on Tuesday night to discuss the service’s proposed budget, which will be part of the City of Peterborough’s 2024 budget talks beginning in November. Board chairperson Mary ten Doeschate says the cost of policing keeps rising and demand for service are also increasing.
“Unfortunately with the rise of costs to do business such as fuel costs, insurance costs, as well wages, this is the number we had to present,” she told Global News.
In September, police Chief Stuart Betts held a town hall to highlight the service’s financial needs, including a new police station and more staff. He stated an 11 per cent budget increase would be just enough “to keep the lights on.” He cautioned that if the increase isn’t met, some service cuts will be required.
For 2023, city council approved a $29.1-million budget for the police service — up four per cent from the $27.1-million budget in 2022.
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The board is proposing a $35-million budget for 2024 — an additional $5.9 million. The increase would be approximately a $79 hike per household.
Doeschate also noted the service remains “critically understaffed” and that the budget request will cover new positions. In the spring the city recommended police initiate a hiring freeze in 2024. Betts in September said the service had 142 officers, of which 124 are fully deployable. He noted the service also had 66 full-time and 10 part-time civilian members as staff.
The service hired 11 more people in 2023 (a mix of officers and civilians). Fourteen new hires were originally expected in 2024.
“When we looked at the numbers, we were able to reduce that request to an additional 10 staff,” Doeschate said.
The board notes the region experienced a 13.4 per cent increase in reported crimes in 2022, putting more resources under strain as the city’s population also continues to grow.
Peterborough Coun. Andrew Beamer, chairperson of the city’s finance committee, says the service’s budget increase request is not unexpected.
“There’s a lot of demands on the city right now, whether it’s the growth in the city, inflation,” he said. “So a lot of outside agencies will be looking for higher-than-normal budgets.”
Beamer says crime and safety are “top concerns” in the community that he hears from residents.
“We will need to address it with a higher-than-usual tax increase,” he said.
The city’s 2024 draft budget will be presented to the finance committee on Nov. 6. Budget deliberations will follow and city council is expected to approve the budget in December.
— with files from Robert Lothian/Global News Peterborough
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