LONDON, Ont. - Some compromise and creative financing will save almost $1-million by the final year of London's police budget.

But the police board's Susan Toth still took direct aim at politicians who campaign on community safety, then balk at paying for more police officers.

“If you guys want more officers on foot patrol, you need to invest,” she said.

Last week the draft budget sought 20 new positions added gradually over four years - boosting annual policing costs to $124-million by 2023.

After a closed door meeting Thursday, Deputy Mayor Jesse Helmer proposed a compromise to save city hall almost $1 million annually by that final year.

That would be about $960,000 less in the last year of the budget because there would be five positions added rather than all of those positions over the course of the multi-year budget.

Four of the new positions will be on foot patrol and one is in the human trafficking unit.

Chief Steve Williams stands to further increase his ranks in 2020 by applying for 10 more positions through assessment growth funding.

Assessment growth represents new tax dollars generated through growth when new homes and businesses are constructed.

Williams is satisfied with the compromise. “There are still significant pressures still on the community. They haven't gone away and we haven't made leaps and bounds above where we were, but we are keeping our head above water.”

However, a shortfall in funding from the province of $640,000 will be filled through the operating budget, drawing more fire from Toth.

“These are cuts from the provincial government. In my personal opinion they are unacceptable, especially from a government that campaigned supporting policing and supporting policing.”

The chief says the 10 new positions being sought through assessment growth funding likely won’t be his last request.

“Hopefully assessment growth funding will be available to us on an annual basis. There is still a process and we respect it has to be approved by council, but that is our intent in order to keep pace with the growth of the city.”

Council will debate the police budget during multi-year budget deliberations early next year.

London Police Services operating budget submission

2020 $114,740,372

2021 $117,840,419

2022 $121,098,834

2023 $123,024,700