THUNDER BAY - The proposed 2022 operating budget for the Thunder Bay Police Service will see an increase over last year of $1.6 million, though the chief of police is expressing concerns that some costs may not be covered.
The 2022 proposed gross operating budget of $55.4 million and proposed net operating budget of $48.8 million taking into account revenue and grants was presented to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on Tuesday, which is $1.6 million more than the 2021 budget or an increase of 3.4 per cent.
According to Thunder Bay Police Service chief Sylvie Hauth, 91.4 per cent of the operating budget represents wages and fringe benefits, with the total personnel services increasing by $1.9 million or 3.8 per cent and does include any increase to the staffing complement.
“The current collective agreement signed last year represents a 3.8 per cent increase in terms of wages, benefits, and other contractual increases that have to be met,” Hauth said.
However, Hauth expressed concerns that the costs of overtime in the coming year will not be covered.
“One of my issues in presenting to you the 2022 budget I do not believe the overtime is adequately addressed,” she said.
“Based on projections and trending, I do not believe the amount budgeted for 2022 will be sufficient. That is an area for me that is a concern.”
Other increases to the budget include $227,400 relating to partnerships related to the mandate of the Project Prevent and Trauma and Violence grants, as well as changes in the reporting costs associated with criminal record checks.
Rent and financials related to securing a new location for training needs accounts for a $79,100 increase, while an additional $42,300 increase is related to computer licencing agreements.
The proposed budget also sees a net increase in revenues of $468,000 that is related to an increase in the Prisoner Transportation and Court Security grant, as well as an increase in revenue from the policing agreement with Oliver Paipoonge, Community and Safety Policing, Bail Safety, RIDE Programs, and criminal record check revenue.
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro said city administration was instructed by council to propose an operating budget for the city starting at a 2.25 per cent increase, which accounted for the proposed police services budget.
“Council has taken a very aggressive approach months ago to start at 2.25,” he said. “We will see where we end up after we conclude budget deliberations in January. This is built into that number.”
But Mauro also raised concerns regarding grant revenue, saying if it is no longer available, the city will have a big problem going into 2023.
Some grants are fixed for the next three years, but larger grants such as the Court Security and Prisoner Transportation grant and the Community Safety and Policing grant have not been confirmed.
“It’s not going to disappear, it’s whether it goes down or not,” Mauro said. “I think at some point we need to be on that. I would call it the untethered grant money for long term security that we need to focus on to protect the taxpayers of the city.”
“I think we find ourselves not only in Thunder Bay but across the province sort of at the mercy of the grants,” Hauth said. “We have very little information coming from the Ministry regarding renewal amounts and what we can expect.”
Hauth added that she is hopeful they will receive the full amount of the grants and welcomed suggestions from the board to advocate on behalf of the police service to ensure at least the status quo.
The proposed 2022 operating budget for the Thunder Bay Police Service will be presented to Thunder Bay city council as part of the budget deliberation process in January.