Mayor Keith Hobbs put the city’s top cop under the microscope after the police budget went more than $1 million in the red.
The report submitted to city council at city hall during a regular scheduled council meeting Monday night showed there were no significant variances for tax-supported city operations on the net total more than $200 million budget.
But the report did highlight that several city services did show unfavourable variances throughout the year.
City services with unfavourable variances include:
• Golf at $155,600
• City Solicitor and Corporate Counsel at $109, 500
• Facilities and Fleet Department at $670,000
• Superior North Emergency Medical Services at about $350,000
• Transportation and Works Department at $1 million
• Thunder Bay Police Service $1.1 million
Hobbs asked why the police service budget went so far into the red because of overtime costs. The mayor also requested a breakdown from Thunder Bay Police Service Chief J.P. Levesque.
Levesque said he wasn’t sure if the questions brought up should be discussed at council or at the police service board.
Hobbs was forced to step down from the police board over an alleged breach of confidentiality earlier this year.
“I think city council should know why that $1.2 million is there,” Hobbs said. “Last year, the third quarter variance was $450, 000 in unfavourable and (Westfort Coun. Joe) Virdiramo contributed that to homicides. I’m looking at 2010 in London and they had seven homicides and there was no negative variance what so ever.”
Hobbs then questioned how the police budget for incidents such as standoffs.
Levesque said while the force will do what it can, those costs usually amount to overtime pay.
“Last year we came in at 1.1 per cent increase to the budget and to get to that we significantly cut our overtime budgets,” Levesque said.
“I think if we realistically budget as we head for 2012 we won’t see this type of thing particularly with the overtime accounts. Also, whenever we head into an investigation, we leave it out of the budget and don’t count for it so it is not a budget shortfall it is an underfunding shortfall.”
Levesque added that the Police Service has begun to try and reduce the shortfalls for next time and will look at cutting down travel and training expenses and keeping an eye on overtime.
Coun. Virdiramo said each city is different and he couldn’t give any details regarding any of the crimes that he brought up.
He added that the negative variance was presented at the police services board and an explanation was given.
