The price of public security was in full focus because the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board unveiled it’s proposed price range for the subsequent calendar yr on Wednesday.
It’s a proposed $253 million price range for 2025, and a slightly below 9 per cent tax improve to help that blueprint.
The price range has elevated by round 11 per cent in 2025, in comparison with the roughly $223 million price range for the yr prior.
By way of how that can have an effect on folks’s backside line, the common resident of Waterloo Area may very well be paying about $70 extra in property taxes subsequent yr, slightly below $850 complete.
Regardless of these will increase, based on Waterloo Regional Police Providers workers, Waterloo Area residents have the third-lowest per capita price per resident amongst the ‘Big 12’ police providers, solely outmatched by Halton Area and Ottawa police providers.
“This is a really tough budget year, next year’s going to be a really tough budget year, so we really have to look at how we invest,” mentioned Regional Chair Karen Redman.
In accordance with a report from the police providers board, nearly all of the price range (71 per cent) goes in the direction of funding regulation enforcement and crime prevention, and simply over 1 / 4 (26 per cent) is used to fund infrastructure upgrades and prices related to administration.
Chief of Police Mark Crowell highlighted an 11 per cent improve in requires service in 2023 in comparison with 2022, including that the service is under-staffed in comparison with the opposite ‘Big 12’ Ontario police providers.
The collective agreements for police service members will even expire on the finish of 2024, and the board has included a just-over 3 per cent improve to the price range to account for bargaining on that entrance.
“We feel that we are at a close to full authorized staffing capacity now,” mentioned Crowell. “We have made considerable inroads to the recruitment to WRPS.”
Regional police workers say the one a part of the rise that may very well be moderately tweaked is the 1 per cent improve as a result of proposed expertise investments, including that the board may weigh the associated fee and impact of these investments.
The following version of the price range will come again in November after workers contemplate the feedback they heard immediately and the feedback they might hear at a digital public enter session arising on Oct. 28.
Share your ideas and priorities for WRPS’ 2025 Funds.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service Board is inviting neighborhood members to a digital public enter session on October 28, 2024, from 5 p.m. to six p.m.
Register to delegate right here: https://t.co/MtBcY9Eeef
For extra… pic.twitter.com/hO08RCJoC9
— Waterloo Regional Police (@WRPSToday) October 16, 2024
