Slightly lower 2024 Regina police budget passed

After about five hours of discussion and deliberation, the Regina Police Service budget for 2024 was passed Wednesday afternoon as presented.

This coming year is the second of the first two-year budget for Regina. As such, Regina police had already presented a budget for 2024 that was simply received and filed.

But with pressures building for the city in 2024, the police budget was sent back twice by the Board of Police Commissioners to make cuts.

As a result, the ask from the police on the operating side was $1.1 million and 19 per cent lower than was thought last year, and the capital ask was $1.5 million and 32 per cent lower. That led to a mill rate impact of 0.38 per cent less, at 1.6 per cent.

The approved 2024 police net operating budget was $102,745,200, with a capital budget of $3,381,800. An additional $128,000 was funded by SGI.

“We aren’t asking for any new operational (funding). We’re not increasing our fuel, we’re not increasing our leases — we’re not increasing anything. We’re trying to maintain what we committed to in our two-year budget and not making an increases there,” Tracy Raison, the financial services manager with the Regina Police Service, said in response to councillors’ questions during discussions.

Deputy Chief Dean Rae. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Deputy Chief Dean Rae made the presentation and answered questions, given the new police chief has only been on the job two weeks.

In his presentation, Rae said this was a challenging budget to put together. He noted the reductions have meant stretching out finishing the five-year growth plan into 2025, pushing back capital projects, and hiring only six new members instead of 12.

But Rae also said he’s satisfied with the passing of the budget and it felt good to get it over the line.

“We’ve said all along that we can work with our community and we can make whatever comes out as a result of the budget work for the Regina Police Service,” Rae told media after his presentation.

The service halved its ask for new officers; Rae said six officers will help.

“What it does signal to the organization and to our membership is that we’re getting support from our board and from the councillors,” said Rae.

“That goes a long ways in helping morale, in helping mental health struggles that we sometimes have, and it shows membership that we’re all pulling together for the same thing.”

Among the capital projects being pushed back is the completion of the police headquarters renovation. The first and third floors are expected to be finished before the end of 2024, and the second floor was going to be worked on at the end of 2024 and into 2025. The second floor has now been pushed back.

Rae said the biggest impact of that will be more disruption for members, but he hopes to get the money for the second floor in capital funding next year.

Because of the work the police did to pare down the budget, Coun. Shanon Zachidniak said this is the first year she’s willing to support the police budget in the four years she’s been on council.

Nine councillors voted yes on the police budget, while councillors Dan LeBlanc and Andrew Stevens voted against.

After approving the police budget, Regina city council dove into hearing from delegations or citizens and organizations on various budget items.

Two-year budgets

Being the second of the two-year budget cycle, some councillors found the way the budgets were presented confusing, sometimes referencing what was already presented in 2023.

“The presentation makes it incomprehensible to understand,” Coun. Bob Hawkins said during the meeting

“Budgets are never easy. I’ve been through 12 of them — this is my 13th — and in none of the 12, at the end of the day, have I had to say that the presentation has been completely confusing to me. I’ve spent hours on this and I can say this is a completely confusing format.”

Hawkins put forward that there should be a much clearer presentation to the public.