York police board approves budget increase of $18.2M for 2024

The York Regional Police services board has approved the force’s proposed 2024 operating and capital budget of more than $410 million.

With the approval of the budget by the police services board, it sets up the treasurers’ budget tabling to regional council next month with a target goal of having the budget approved by Dec. 21.

The board approved a budget of $410,056,809 with an $18.2 million or 4.6 per cent increase over 2023. The budget includes gross expenditures of $450.4 million, with about 85 per cent of gross spending going to salaries and benefits. 

Outlined in the budget is the hiring of 46 additional officers across York Regional Police to support various areas. 

The budget includes over $150 million in 2024 for more than 1,000 York Regional Police members delivering frontline patrol, criminal investigations, and community-oriented response activities. The 2024 budget increases this staffing by 21 members.

The budget also includes the increase of two media relations officers, eight community support officers, four positions to support recruitment and retention, 11 officers in key areas that include supporting crime trends such as cyber crime.

Adding additional officers will help offset increasing community needs that the board had identified, said Jeff Channell, executive director of financial services for York Regional Police.

Those needs focus on making communities safer through criminal intelligence and community-oriented response, addressing violent and organized crime trends including auto theft, expanding to districts to improve community members wellness and well-being, and supporting services delivery through 911 communications and mental health crisis workers. 

York Region ranks among the safest communities in almost every major crime category, when compared to the 10 largest municipal police services in Canada (York, Peel, Toronto, Durham, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton). 

It has the third lowest Crime Severity Index rating, a measure that takes into account the volume of crime and also the severity of crime, which has helped keep costs low, said Channell.

“We continue to be the lowest cost per capita among the 10 largest municipal police services,” said Channell.

Along with approving the 2024 budget, the board was presented with two options for the outlooks of the 2025 and 2026 budget.

The first option was as tabled a tax-levy impact of $426,140,747 in 2025, including 31 additional staff, and $442,411,081 in 2026, including 36 additional staff for financial planning purposes.

The second option was an enhanced outlook of 46 additional staff in each year with a tax-levy impact of $426,940,747 in 2025 and $444,791,081 in 2026 for financial planning purposes.

The board opted to approve the second option with the enhanced outlook with hopes that York Regional Police continue to look for ways to improve efficiency.

“Because you’re adding more staff, we are using more technology, we need to find efficiencies,” said Wayne Emerson, York Region chairman and CEO. “I know we say this every year, but we’ve got to.”

Emerson said he doesn’t have a problem going with the enhanced outlook for 2025 and 2026, however, he does expect that come June 2024, a report will come back to the board from York Regional Police highlighting how efficiencies for cost savings have been found.

“We can then look at that before we deal with the budget in September (2024),” he said. “I really want a report to come in June to see just what you have accomplished.”