Just when you thought the budget process was over… It’s not! Yes, there are still some budgets left to digest for 2026, seven to be precise, and one of them is the Guelph Police Service budget. In a special meeting of the police board, the updated operating budget will be discussed. What savings, if any, were found? What will the community get out of this year’s budget increase? Let’s take a look at the preview…
NOTE #1: This meeting takes place virtually at 1:30 pm but it will be broadcast on Guelph Police’s YouTube page.
NOTE #2: This is the first of two meetings of the Guelph Police Services Board this month. The next one is on Thursday January 22.
2026 Operating Budget – Since the October board meeting, the operating budget for 2026 has been reduced by $235,000. That doesn’t mean they cut $235,000 from the budget though, they’re just looking for a $235,000 transfer from the Police Operating Contingency Reserve to cover those costs. This should be comfortably absorbed by the service because they collected a surplus of over $245,000 for 2024 and were forecasting a $500,000 surplus for 2025 at last month’s board meeting. The total police budget for 2025 is almost $73.9 million.
As previously reported, the Guelph Police Service has been phasing in needed resource and staffing increases as outlined in a report prepared by KPMG. For 2026, the budget increase accounts for six new officers, and two new civilian positions plus an additional clinician from the Canadian Mental Health Association. The presentation also notes that the service is under new staff pressure thanks to provincial legislation, from road safety (Bill 56) to putting resource officers in school (Bill 33), and requests for more court security from the ministry.
The report in the agenda notes that the reduction in requested from the City is owed to a November letter asking the seven local boards and shared services agencies to find savings in the name of affordability. The budget for those areas, including the Guelph Police Service, was supposed to be heard at a special budget meeting in December, which has now been rescheduled to February 7.
Presently, there are no changes to the 2027 budget, which will be ratified early next year after the new council and board are sworn in.
Guelph Politico 