Barrie police are asking for a $67.5-million budget this year, which is a 6.78 per cent increase from 2023.
Police board officials will present their 2024 budget to city council at its Jan. 17 meeting.
Mayor Alex Nuttall and Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, who both sit on the Barrie Police Services Board, and say they support the department's 2024 budget.
“I do support the operational improvements that have taken place over the last year,” Nuttall said. “As you know, cities across North America are grappling with increased lawlessness. As a city, I believe that we need to ensure the safety of our residents with more officers on the ground versus in the executive level.
“This proposed police budget appears to achieve this and support safety and security of Barrie residents,” he added. “As a (police) board member, I have supported this budget request and recognize that it is less than the request received last year, while providing for enhanced services.”
The Barrie Police Service's 2023 budget asked for 7.28 per cent more funding, or a $4.29-million increase. It was pegged at $63.24 million, which is an increase from $58.95 million in 2022.
Thomson, meanwhile, was non-committal about his support for the police budget when it comes to council, although the Ward 5 councillor said he was in full support of it on the board level.
“From what we’re trying to achieve with the police budget, I think it’s a good step forward,” he said.
Of the 6.78 per cent budget increase, 5.3 per cent is for salaries and benefits alone.
A new five-year contract, with average annual wage increases of 3.5 per cent, was announced earlier this week between Barrie Police Association and the Barrie Police Services Board.
The association represents 250 uniform and 125 civilian members of Barrie police. The previous five-year contract expired on Dec. 31, 2023. The new contract runs from Jan. 1, 2024 until Dec. 31, 2028.
The new deal also includes an increase in wellness supports and provides a small premium paid to front-line officers who work 12-hour rotating shifts. Provisions within the collective agreement will allow Barrie city police the ability to explore expanding the use of special constables throughout the community, including downtown Barrie and in neighbourhoods and areas that require specialized community engagement.
Salaries, benefits and overtime were estimated to be 94 per cent of the 2023 police budget.
This year’s police budget also asks to replace six officers a year during 2024 and 2025.
The 2024 police budget includes four new civilian positions — a privacy and access clerk, a digital evidence management administrator, what’s called an organizational wellness administrative assistant and a communicator for next generator 911, which allows for additional details in emergency situations, such as the use of video.
The 2024 police budget also contains money for technology and infrastructure. This includes software to support body worn cameras, digital evidence management, closed circuit television cameras, automated license plate recognition, next generation 911 implementation and information technology infrastructure and security.
There’s also money in the budget for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) mental stress injury claim costs.
Police officers will experience 400 to 600 traumatic events throughout their career, according to Barrie police, compared to three to four such events for an average citizen.
Police spending is historically the largest portion of Barrie’s annual operating budget. In 2023, it was approximately 22.1 per cent. It was 21.8 per cent in 2022 and 22.2 per cent in 2021.
The police budget still requires city council approval. Council is expected to consider this approval at its Jan. 31 meeting.
In December, council approved an operating/capital budget with no increase to property taxes on the city portion of spending for the typical Barrie homeowner, with a home assessed at $368,000, and with a 2023 tax bill of $4,724.
But the zero increase does not include budget requests for the city service partners, not only Barrie city police but the County of Simcoe and the Barrie Public Library, which will also present their budgets Jan. 17.
