Wait a minute! Didn’t we have a Guelph Police Services Board meeting once already this month?! Well, technically, that was the slightly delayed September meeting, so this is the “real” meeting for October, and it will be a relatively brief one at that. On this agenda, there’s a couple of the usual reports, and there’s also the final passage of the operating budget for the Guelph Police until 2027 before it goes on for final, final approval at city council.
NOTE: This meeting takes place virtually at 2:30 pm but it will be broadcast on Guelph Police’s YouTube page.
Board Correspondence Report – There’s one piece of incoming mail concerning the additional officers deployed downtown and there’s one piece of (pro forma) outgoing mail from Chair McSherry to Mayor Guthrie about the passage of the Police capital budget.
Professional Standards Quarterly Report – Every quarter, the board receives a report about the present number of complaints and investigations into members of the service. As of the end of the third quarter there were 15 new public complaints, 10 of those were screened out, and five were referred to Professional Standards for investigation. Out of those five, three are ongoing and two were concluded in the recently finished quarter. There are also seven complaints that are still ongoing from before the quarter and there’s one SIU investigation ongoing too.
2023-2027 Operating Budget – As revealed at the Police Board meeting a couple of weeks ago, the police operating budget for the next four years includes a $2.77 million, or 4.84 per cent increase, over 2023 followed by a $3.76 million increase (6.13 per cent) in 2025, $3.51 million (5.28 per cent) in 2026 and $3.39 million (4.79 per cent) in 2027. These increases will pay for an additional 32 FTE ( full-time equivalent) positions over the next four years. plus impacts from capital costs, increases to WSIB and long-term disability costs, and increased costs of purchased goods and services not covered under capital.
The board will ratify this budget, plus look at an additional motion approved at the October 5 meeting to look at opportunities to fund IMPACT to the amount of $750,000. Unfortunately, police finance staff were only able to put together $455,700 over the next four years thanks to money from the Police Operating Contingency Reserve; requests for funds from the City of Guelph were met with regret as City staff are saying that their reserves have been tapped near to their limits.
After the board ratifies the operating budget here, it will be forwarded to city council approval for their budget deliberations in November.
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.
Guelph Politico 