Londoners may be digging deeper into their pockets to cover rising police costs.
A requested $3-million budget increase is drawing fire from Councillor Nancy Branscombe who says it's time to freeze the police budget.
"If it means looking at things they haven't been willing to look at like layoffs, I guess they are going to have to do that," says Branscombe.
This month, the Police Services Board approved a 2014 budget request of $92.9 million, a 3.3 per cent increase over last year.
With 90 per cent of that budget tied to salaries and benefits, Chief Brad Duncan says there's little left to cut.
"We are at the wall at 3.3 per cent," says Duncan.
But it's getting crowded on that proverbial budget wall.
"We are at the wall and the public is telling us enough is enough," adds Branscombe.
As a member of the Police Services Board, Councillor Denise Brown approved the 2014 budget request.
She worries non-core services like Project LEARN, that polices near-campus neighbourhoods, and the program that places police officers in high schools would be jeopardized.
"Since the bulk of our budget is personnel, I don't think we would have much choice and then what are we going to cut?" says Brown
Back in January, Branscombe proposed essentially the same motion during 2013 budget deliberations but failed to get enough support from council.
This year she predicts a different result.
"Election year coming up next year, they are going to have to explain to voters and taxpayers why they supported 3, 3.5 per cent increases," Branscombe says.
