Council approves $92.8M operating budget for Regina police, including money for new plane
CBC
Regina police will get money to hire additional officers and buy a new plane, after city council approved the police service's $92.8 million net operating budget on Wednesday.
Debate on the proposed budget lasted all of Wednesday. It was ultimately approved in a 7-4 vote, with Couns. Cheryl Stadnichuk, Andrew Stevens, Daniel Leblanc and Shanon Zachidniak voting against it.
The budget includes money for new positions, including 16 police officers, seven civilian roles and a new deputy chief.
It also includes funding for the contentious addition of a plane for the Regina Police Service.
Funding for drug screening devices and shotguns was also approved in the operating budget, which is about $3.5 million more than what was approved last year.
Along with the operating budget, council approved roughly $4.7 million for the police service's capital budget, plus an additional $548,000 funded by Saskatchewan Government Insurance.
The operating budget covers things like salary, while the capital budget covers things like facilities.
The budget estimates total operating expenditures of nearly $103.7 million and revenues of nearly $10.9 million, according to a report presented to council for Wednesday's vote.
The proposed budget increase was an issue Regina police Chief Evan Bray addressed during council's debate.
He acknowledged that scrutiny of police is at an all-time high and that the service needs to be able to show it's providing valuable services.
Bray said the service needed a budget increase because a growing population demands more from the city and its police service.
Those demands "have grown and our overall budget has moved lockstep, I would say, with the city of Regina — not out of step, but lockstep with the city," he said.
The force is experiencing a growing number of calls that are increasingly complex, Bray said.
He pointed to the 16 additional officer positions as a direct response to those needs.
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