The two civilian members of the Board of Police Commissioners believe the police service’s proposed 2024 budget is not “a big ask” and provides officers with enough tools to succeed.
The agency projects expenses to be $14,604,410 and revenues to be $1,913,507, leaving a net operating budget of $12,690,093 that city council would cover. Compared to this year, next year’s numbers represent an increase of, respectively, $1,216,355 (9.09 per cent), $35,000 (1.86 per cent) and $1,181,355 (10.26 per cent).
The largest expense increases include salaries ($291,406), employee benefits ($372,722), computer software ($445,000), fuel supplies ($117,000) and pension ($50,307.
This is Commissioner Darrell Markin’s final term on the board, and during his five years as a member, he has watched the police service progress and continually upgrade its technological capabilities.
Markin has participated in several ride-alongs with police and knows that, even at 3 a.m., many officers are at the station writing reports after dealing with situations.
“To move this service in a more of a technology-advanced (direction), I think it’s just a natural progression. I don’t think it’s a hard ask what the service is asking us,” he said, noting the organization’s salaries, benefits and pension contributions will significantly increase during the next few years because of how young the agency’s members are.
Markin acknowledged that while this is a “tough budget,” considering everyone is facing inflationary pressures, he wanted the board to maintain its vision of moving the MJPS forward. This included supporting the agency’s tactical response team (TRT), which he didn’t think received enough credit.
“I would never want to sit here knowing that one of our policemen has been shot and is laid up in the hospital (when the TRT could have responded) … ,” he said.
“As an appointed community member, I feel safe. So, I think this budget is fair and … I don’t think it’s a big ask. I think it’s one that we need.”
Board chairwoman Mary Lee Booth agreed while noting that this is a status quo budget because it’s not asking for anything new. Instead, it’s “the cost of doing business” that has increased.
“What we’re doing is giving these folks the right, reliable and relevant tools to do the job,” she said.
Many communities are facing an increase in drugs, weapons and violence, as recently demonstrated in Estevan, where an officer was shot, which means the TRT is needed, Booth continued. She didn’t believe the community wanted to see a decrease in the services the MJPS offered.
Booth added that more police are needed to handle increased calls for service and situations in public places.
Commissioner Doug Blanc said he understood the police service’s need for $445,000 in technology upgrades. However, he wondered whether it would spend the entire amount next year or if some would carry into 2025. If there was a carryover, he wondered if that cost would be locked in.
Deputy Chief Rick Johns replied that spending every dollar next year depends on how long it takes to implement the new technology. Most upgrades are one-time costs, while there will be annual licensing fees. However, the MJPS requires the full installation of the new computer-assisted dispatch program so its members can be more visible in the community.
Johns noted that software provider Versaterm will not honour the agreed-upon costs for 2024 if the upgrades continue into 2025, considering expenses will likely increase. Moreover, these upgrades are not physical items one can touch; they are expensive digital items like software and records management programs.
The new software is the industry standard in Saskatchewan, with most municipal police agencies using a full computer-assisted dispatch model, he said. However, not every agency is using Versaterm for records management as Moose Jaw is.
“This is the initiative that we find the most value,” Johns added. “We’ll be able to put the (2,190) hours worth of police officers onto the streets, where they’re entering their reports on a computer in their vehicle on Main Street or some other area of the community (instead of being at headquarters) … .”
Commissioner Clive Tolley said he has received several emails from residents concerned about understaffing within the MJPS. He wondered if the budget reflected those vacant positions and unspent wages.
The yearly budgets are estimates and the MJPS does not include vacancies when it knows there will be empty positions, said Police Chief Rick Bourassa. While it does budget wages for training recruits, sometimes it unexpectedly has vacancies due to retirements or even the inability to secure a training spot at the police college.
Any money the MJPS does not spend goes into an accumulated surplus — “We budget exactly what we need in a year” — to cover “surprises” in expenses, although city council has the final say on how it’s used, he added.
The next police board meeting is Thursday, Dec. 14.
