The Victoria police budget appears certain to go into deficit territory this fiscal year, and while it’s not expected to affect service levels, it does underline the need for the province to settle the annual budget squabble between Victoria and Esquimalt.
Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, co-chair of the Victoria Esquimalt Police Board, said for the most part the budget is on track, though they will keep a close eye on it and the two municipalities will have adequate police services.
“We have reserves that we can go into and they are for those needs if required, so there’s no concern about reduced services,” she said.
In a report to the board Tuesday night, board controller Steve Hurcombe noted the police service is operating slightly above the budget that was approved by councils.
Hurcombe said so far this year, most budget line items are at or below where they should be, but the department is dealing with the high cost of officers retiring.
“We continue to see a high number of retirements. We’ll probably see that for the next few years,” he said, noting retirement expenditures, which were not budgeted for, have reached $675,000 this year.
Adding to the budget tightness were building and maintenance costs of $321,545 and professional services to the tune of $370,000, both of which are items the councils refused to pay for during the budget process.
Hurcombe’s report to the board noted the current financial position is that through to the end of September — 73 per cent of the fiscal year — the department has spent 74 per cent of the budget approved by the board and 76 per cent of the budget approved by the councils.
Victoria and Esquimalt split the cost of the VicPD budget each year, though each year there is disagreement over just how much they should each pay.
Esquimalt, which pays about 14 per cent of the $69.5-million budget, says the township is being asked to fund the personnel and programs that Victoria needs but Esquimalt doesn’t.
Both Victoria and Esquimalt councils refused to fund certain aspects of the police budget, leaving several items unfunded this year, and leaving the police board to appeal to the province to determine who should pay the shortfall. The province has yet to determine who is on the hook for it.
Desjardins said there is cautious optimism there will soon be a decision. “A decision would be really helpful in terms of how do we get to go forward with regard to the budget, because it then solidifies things one way or another,” she said. “Either there will be money or there won’t be.”
In October last year, Esquimalt was directed to kick in another $183,523 to cover its share of additional police personnel after the province ruled against the township in a dispute over the 2022 Victoria police budget.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General determined that Esquimalt was in the wrong when it rejected a request from Victoria police to fund its share of 10 new positions, worth about $1.3 million.
Budgeting is central to Esquimalt’s desire to break out of the forced marriage on policing with Victoria.
The municipalities have been required to share the costs of policing since 2002. Before 2002, Esquimalt had a joint police-fire department that had been in place since 1912. A standalone fire department was established in 2003 and 33 police officers joined VicPD.
Esquimalt has argued it is overpaying for services it doesn’t need and is subsidizing Victoria’s policing. Esquimalt is in the midst of a process to pull out of the shared policing agreement, which expires at the end of this year.
The township has hired a consulting firm to come up with alternatives. They had expected to hear back from the consultant in the summer, but that date has been pushed back several times.
Desjardins said they are making progress, though she said any kind of change is not going to happen by the end of the year.
“I’m disappointed at the amount of time it’s taking, but I also recognize that it is very complex,” she said, adding it’s further complicated by impending changes to the Police Act coming from the province that will require a clear plan to transition to a new police service.
Desjardins said it will mean once a municipality moves down the pathway to a new policing model, there will be no turning back.
She said that means Esquimalt will have to “have all its I’s dotted and T’s crossed” and able to answer all questions about what any potential transition might look like.
Esquimalt would need provincial approval to get out of the shared services agreement with Victoria.
The province has told Esquimalt it will consider the township’s proposal for policing and law enforcement, but the municipality will also have to provide a detailed plan outlining the proposed policing model, as well as a transition plan.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is also waiting for the consultant’s report.
