MOOSE JAW — The changes that the Board of Police Commissioners made to the Moose Jaw Police Service’s 2025 budget request are positive and good for the community, the board chairman says.
“I’m appreciative that Acting Chief (Rick) Johns was able to tweak and fine-tune some things, so I think it will go a long way in the community (in) letting the citizens know that everyone is trying to do what they can with the budget,” Mayor James Murdock said, following the special board meeting on Jan. 24.
The original budget — which city council rejected — included an operating funding request of $13,155,774 — an increase of $909,871, or 7.43 per cent over last year — and a capital funding request of $344,000.
The amended budget features an operating request of $12,830,258, which represents an increase in net funding of $584,355 or 4.77 per cent over last year, but is 2.66-per-cent less — a decrease of $325,516 — than the first budget demand.
The 2.66-per-cent decrease is “very helpful” since it’s important to find savings everywhere, while the board wants to ensure residents receive the services they require “but at a proper dollar amount,” Murdock continued.
The board chairman praised Johns and his leadership team for reviewing the budget and finding ways to reduce the funding request, with those efforts being noticeable and something for which the board is thankful.
Johns told reporters that when police leadership reviewed the budget, they wanted to ensure that any cuts they made didn’t reduce service levels in the community. The capital projects they chose to remove from this year’s budget were things they knew they could defer to future budgets or manage within the existing budget.
“We don’t anticipate any reduction in service based on this budget, but we don’t have a crystal ball and there could be things that pop up throughout the year,” he said. “So, we’re always mindful of that as well (and) keep an eye on those potential costs.”
During the media scrum, Johns also addressed the travel and board expense category in the 2025 budget. This year, that category proposes spending $56,500 compared to $5,000 last year, an increase of $51,500 or 1,030 per cent.
Johns pointed out that Police Chief Rick Bourassa — currently on medical leave — has announced that he will retire this year. So, the previous board implemented a contingency fund to support the search for a new chief, which may involve hiring a search team or an international firm to find the new leader.
Another expense Johns addressed was the cost of supporting the eight new provincially funded officers. The province has provided the Moose Jaw Police Service with $952,000 in salaries for these positions, with $747,700 coming this year.
However, Johns noted that funding does not include money to outfit new members with items such as clothing, weapons or vests, so the agency must bear those additional expenses.
In its 2025 budget, the police service plans to spend $40,200 on boots and related clothing and $87,000 on uniforms and related clothing, which are increases of $3,200 and $24,000, respectively, over last year.
The acting chief added that it would cost roughly $5,000 to $7,000 to equip an officer with full gear.
