The Regina Board of Police Commissioners has submitted its 2023 and 2024 budget proposals to be reviewed by city council.
The board is requesting to increase its annual operating budget for the next two years.
The report suggests a net operating budget of $98,123,200 is needed based on an estimated $110,088,600 in gross expenditures and $11,965,400 in revenue for 2023.
Council approved an approximately $4 million increase for the RPS net operating budget totaling $92.8 million in 2022.
The 2023 net operating budget would be an increase of $5,326,500, or 5.7 per cent, over the 2022 budget. The board expects a 9.8 per cent increase in revenue from the previous year, which would offset some of the expenses.
Staffing costs make up 87 per cent of the gross operating budget for 2023. As part of RPS’ growth plan, eight civilian and 21 sworn positions would be created in 2023.
In 2024, the police board is requesting a 5.8 per cent increase in its net operating budget compared to the year before.
Estimates show a net operating budget of $103,764,700 based on gross expenditures of $115,568,200 and potential revenue of $11,747,500.
Staffing expenditures will support 675 permanent employees and 15 casual full time employees, which is an increase of one civilian and a net of 12 sworn positions over the previous year.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said the more than half of the proposed net operating increases relates to the operations of the new RPS headquarters that is set to open in January 2023.
“Part of (the proposed increase) is about the space expansion and the expenses associated with the operation of that. We do know that fuel costs are up and then there’s a natural increase in terms of the police associations wage increase negotiated,” Masters said.
The police board has proposed a five-year capital budget plan of $23.9 million that would carry RPS through 2027.
The plan requests $4,355,000 for its capital budget in 2023 with $128,000 of it being funded by SGI.
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The capital budget would increase in 2024 to $5,068,000 with SGI contributing the same amount of funding as 2023.
The police capital budget focuses on six program areas. In the next two years, roughly $3.3 million would be spent on police fleet vehicles, $3 million on facilities, $1.2 million in communications equipment, $1 million in firearms, drug screening devices and other patrol equipment, and $785,000 to upgrade the tactical training facility and special team’s equipment.
“When it comes to the RPS budget, at the end of the day, council is approving the overall budget, not individual line items within that budget,” said Barry Lacey, Executive Director of Financial Strategy and Sustainability for the City of Regina.
The report will be forwarded and considered by city council at a special budget meeting on Dec. 14.
NEW POLICE RESERVE FUND
City council unanimously approved the creation of a new reserve to fund the Regina Police Service Community Policing Initiative at its meeting on Wednesday.
“The intent behind it is sincere in helping out not-for-profit organizations put on events and festivals and activities that congregate people, which then require a bit of police presence,” Masters said.
The RPS community policing initiative reserve would help provide police efforts needed during community events at a reduced cost or no cost at all to the event organizer. The funds will also help offset any police overtime costs associated with staffing the events.
“Historically and typically what would happen, if there was an identified need for that (police presence) to proceed, then that non-profit organization would pay for that additional police service,” Lacey said.
“The intent of these funds was recognizing things like Folk Festival, Grey Cup and other things are important for the community and are important for the vibrancy of the community and these non-profit groups, from time to time, are challenged with having that additional cost in their budget.”
The reserve will receive $600,000 annually as part of the Regina Police Budget as well as a one-time transfer of $400,000 from the RPS general reserve.
The reserve will have a maximum balance of $1.5 million.
“As the reserve builds and as it gets to its maximum, I guess there are opportunities to have questions about how those funds are being used,” Lacey said.
Masters said the reserve fund will likely be revisited in the next few years to review what organizations are using the reserve and if the funding amount is still appropriate.
The board of police commissioners voted in favour of the reserve in January of 2022.
