The Sarnia Police Services Board wants to reduce the proposed 2020 police budget increase by over two per cent.
Last week, Sarnia police tabled an operating draft of more than $25.5 million, a 7.1 per cent increase over 2019.
Board chair Mayor Mike Bradley said a special meeting was held this morning to discuss ways to trim the increase to five per cent.
"The board took a number of steps [Thursday]. One is they've authorized the hiring of four new officers staggered to reduce the costs over next year, at the same time they've pushed back the renovations to the front area of the police station just to get the design done, but not to actually spend the money on doing it in the next budget year," he said. "But they've also referred the budget back to the administration saying that we would like to see what it would take to get to five per cent."
Bradley said the two sides are scheduled to meet again on November 4.
"At that time we'll have more information from the top staff, including some insider issues like the OMERS payments and other human resources costs. So it's our hope at that time that we can finalize and hopefully be at that [five per cent] number, which would reduce the budget by at least two per cent."
Bradley said they have a number of fixed costs, including the new hirings and the mandated 911 service upgrades.
"Well the problem is that when we look at the mandated 911 upgrade, that's more than 1.5 per cent, and we don't have an option on that. We are trying to find other ways to reduce the costs, but the hiring of the four officers is something I believe the community wants, it's something the police board wants, and what we're trying to do is stage those hirings so we can decrease our budget costs, at least for 2020."
Police Chief Norm Hansen said the upgraded 911 system, mandated by the federal government, has inflated police operating budgets across Ontario, noting it amounts to over $400,000 in Sarnia, nearly two per cent of the increase.
Chief Hansen will be heading to Queen’s Park later this year to discuss possibly recouping costs for the system through a phone tariff.