The New Westminster police board has mapped out a tentative schedule for consideration of its 2024 budget — one that could propose a budget increase of more than eight per cent.
At its June 20 meeting, the police board received a staff report about the New Westminster Police Department’s 2024 operational budget. The Police Act requires municipal police boards to approve their budgets by Nov. 30, 2024.
Salary and benefits account for approximately 80 per cent of the New Westminster Police Department’s overall budget, said the report.
“The (2023) budget saw an increase of 10.11 per cent or $2,643,244, reflecting ongoing challenges such as recruitment, cost escalations, and downloading of costs from other government entities,” said the report.
The police department is currently estimating a budget increase of 8.48 per cent to 11.07 per cent in 2024, said the report.
Chief Const. Dave Jansen told the board the budget figures “are really raw” at this time. He said the main objective of the budget is to align with the board’s goals and priorities and to ensure the city receives effective and adequate policing.
“In light of this, our report highlights several challenges that we anticipate for the upcoming fiscal year. One of the significant concerns is a shortage of operational staff. Although the department currently has a budget for 114 sworn police officers, this number fails to accurately reflect the number of deployable members due to various factors such as police academy recruits, mat/pat (maternity/paternity) leaves and long-term illness,” he said. “Moreover, the recruiting challenges faced by police agencies across British Columbia and the country add to the difficulty of timely replacements.”
Jansen’s report also provided a proposed timeline to assist the board in building the police department’s 2024 budget.
“It proposes six public meetings of the board, including two that are being proposed to include New Westminster city council,” he said. “At four of these meetings, the public will have an opportunity to provide input to the board for your consideration. This is the most extensive public process of budget preparation that the board has undertaken since I’ve been the chief constable.”
In addition to the initial discussion with the board at its June meeting on budget timelines and pressures, the chief recommended a process that includes one meeting in July (a presentation about the initial 2024 operating and capital budget), two meeting in September (including one with city council), a meeting in October and two meetings in November (including a meeting with council).
At the June 20 police board meeting, Jansen suggested additional meetings could be scheduled with council in November.
“I like the plan,” said police board member Drew Hart. “I agree we need to block out more time in November, just sort of based on how things went last year.”
Police board member Mary Trentadue said she’d like to have a better understanding about some of the creative or innovative things that departments in other jurisdictions are doing could positively impact the budget if introduced in New West.
“It’s very difficult to read a budget request of what is seven to 11 per cent – that may be every year; I think that’s really hard,” she said. “I’m not saying that I don’t agree with it. But I would like to understand how can we actually consider addressing that constant increase on the budget.”
Council input
At the June meeting, the police board received a letter from Mayor Patrick Johnstone, on behalf of city council, regarding two motions recently considered by council. That included a May 29 motion to write to the police board requesting to engage in collaborative dialogue about the 2024 police budget on an ongoing basis beginning in spring 2023.
Drew Hart, a member of the police board, said he’s more than happy to engage in dialogue with city council, saying the board has an obligation under the Police Act to consider its priorities. He added, however, that the board is ultimately responsible for the police board budget.
“We’ll certainly consider council’s priorities, but council doesn’t actually have the deciding role there,” he said.
Trentadue suggested council be informed with the board’s discussion about the timeline for this budget, so council can see the police board’s plans for dealing with this year’s budget and the way council has been included in that process.
“I will say from past experience that was always kind of a blind for me, like I didn’t know what the Police Board was doing or when they were talking about things,” said Trentadue, a former city councillor. “And not that I had a say; it’s just nice to know what the calendar is around the budget. Maybe that would provide some insight into our work and how to schedule it and how we want or hope to integrate with council in that schedule.”
The police board will provide city council with details about the timeline proposed for dealing with the New Westminster Police Department’s 2024 budget.
