This month at the Guelph Police Services Board, it’s about the money. Between the usual reports about correspondences and promotions and Chief Gord Cobey’s monthly insights, the other new items of business are about matters of budget. The financial staff will break down the first fiscal quarter of 2022 and there’s also the annual report about the auctioning off of surplus goods, but this is what’s all on the agenda for May.
NOTE: This meeting takes place virtually at 2:30 pm but it will be broadcast on Guelph Police’s YouTube page.
Human Resources Report: Member Appointments Decision – As you may be aware, all new appointments at the Guelph Police Service had to get the final approval of the board. This month, there’s only one new appointment to approve and it’s Andrew Cooper as a First Class Constable effective May 1.
Property and Surplus Goods (Auction) Information Annual Report – So there’s three areas of concern here. First, there was the sale of surplus goods, which is basically the stuff that the Police Service doesn’t need anymore like I.T. equipment and furniture, and last year, nearly $29,000 was made from the sale of their old stuff. Next, the the sale of surplus vehicles, and in 2022 there were nine sold, and that caught over $72,000 for the Service. And finally, there was the auctioning off of found and seized property, which yield a little over $9,500 in 2022. All these funds are accounted for in the police budget.
Board Correspondence Report Information – There’s only outgoing mail this month, and two of those letters are directed to Guelph City Council about actions already taken regarding the budget surplus from 2022 and the allocation of resources for new dedicated downtown patrol officers. The third letter is a congratulatory letter to a new hire.
Budget Signing Authorities Information – According to the Police Board’s financial policy, any changes to the signing authority have to be approved by council, and back in January, the signing authority was changed to reflect new transfers and promotions, including, notably, the addition of a new Deputy Chief.
Budget Calendar Report Information – Keep in mind the following dates: The capital budget presentation for 2024-2027 will be on July 20, the approval of the capital budget will be on September 21, which is the same day that staff will present the operating budget for 2024-2027, and that one will get approved the next month on October 19.
Operating and Capital Budget Q1 Quarterly Variance Report – The end of March marked the end of the first quarter for the fiscal year. So as of March 31, the Service has spent 27.4 per cent of the full budget, which is slightly above the quarterly target of 25 per cent and owed mainly to the timing of purchases. Total salaries and benefits, the biggest portion of the budget, is presently under budget at 22.3 per cent. This is owed to banked overtime and vacancies including two officer and 10 full-time equivalency positions in the civilian side of the Service. Despite these considerations, Financial Services is playing it safe and predicting no year end variance.
Chief’s Monthly Report – As usual, Guelph Police Services Chief Gord Cobey will deliver a verbal report about the latest goings on at 15 Wyndham Street South.
SEE THE COMPLETE AGENDA ON THE GUELPH POLICE WEBSITE HERE.
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