Police Funding - The Start of the Conversation
As Council prepares for the next 4 year budget cycle, a few items that needs to be determined by Council are:
How do we determine police funding (formula, service packages, etc.)
What is the base budget to start with for the methodology chosen?
A report at the Executive Committee highlighted several options with pros and cons for funding package, funding formula, and freezes or decreases. Let’s be clear right out of the gate that there are challenges with all the options and none are perfect or ideal. Funding packages provide more accountability and adaptability to changing context, however, once funding is determined by Council, how that money is spent is up to EPS and the commission. I've learned that the current funding formula is unsustainable and doesn’t take into account changing context. When it is changed (as it was in 2020, 2021, and 2022) it is seen as a cut even with year over year increases. I’m open to a funding formula, but not at inflation + growth - efficiency factor. The same challenge occurs with a freeze or cut across the board as it does not take into account context.
We as a Council need to find a path forward for police funding for the next 4 year budget cycle. This is why I put forward the following motion that was supported in a 3 to 2 vote at committee:
“That Executive Committee recommend to City Council: That the Edmonton Police Service receives operating funding of $385,000,000 (net operating requirement) starting in 2023 on an ongoing basis, not including funding from the Traffic Safety and Automated Enforcement Reserve, and that the budget process for police funding align with existing civic department processes for the development of the 2023-26 operating budget.”
This motion’s intent is to tell the Edmonton Police Commission - here is your starting point - the current tax base. Come back in the fall at budget deliberations and tell Council what you need, just as all other civic departments do. Council can debate at that time, hear from the public, and make a final determination on the budget for policing for the next 4 years. For me, this was a fair and balanced motion and I stand by it. This motion will be debated at the Council meeting on June 7.
At the same meeting we had another report that outlined that photo radar revenue is declining. We currently fund 22.3 million to police annually above the tax base from this budget (total police funding in 2022 was 407 million). However, the projections are that if we keep funding police with money out of this funding stream - the reserve will be over 100 million in deficit by 2026. This is also not sustainable or fiscally responsible. This is why the motion does not include this funding. I believe if we want to make up this shortfall as a Council, it needs to be from the tax-base - which will also provide more transparency to total police funding.
This is the start of the conversation on police funding. I’m excited to continue to have more conversations to achieve a safer city as we move forward. What are your thoughts on the current budget and how we should fund police going forward?
