Chief explains 2025 policing budget

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Taber Times

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Police Commission Chair John MacDonald and Chief of Police Graham Abela appeared before town council on Nov. 12 with an update of the commission’s operating budget.

 MacDonald read from a statement that contained the Taber Police Service (TPS) operating and capital budget requests for 2025 and its annual policing plan as required by the Police Act. He said the costs associated with this year’s budget increases could be attributed to the resignation of three officers last year.

 “These departures have left a large gap that we are trying to fill through senior officer recruitment and hiring of recruit constables,” he said. “Also, an increase to the budget is the digital management evidence clerk position required for the impact of bodycams, as ordered by the minister. This position commenced in 2024 but is being felt in the 2025 budget.”

 He said the good news is that the TPS has already hired one experienced officer rather than a recruit, a move that reduced its funding request. Still, for the two remaining openings, a tuition cost of $22,500 and a stipend of $27,000 will be required.

 “On top of that, we need to uniform each new officer, recruit or experienced, at a cost of about $9,000 each. The worst-case budget scenario is that we will pay close to $117,000 if we hire two recruits for tuition and stipend,” he said. The commission will budget for the hiring of two new recruits, whose yearly salary is much less than a first-class constable.

 As for equipment, MacDonald said, “We are purchasing ballistic helmets for use by our members. Each car will have a helmet and they will be kept with our ceramic body armour and shields. The cost will be about $6,000 and is required for officer safety.”

 In September, the City of Chestermere and Siksika Nation informed the TPS that they would like to engage Taber’s dispatch for call-taking and dispatch for their CPO’s. MacDonald said the commission could anticipate revenues of about $90,000 for its intermunicipal work in 2025.

 The commission’s capital requests include two police vehicles in 2025; one vehicle within its normal fleet cycle, and the second funded by revenue from its M.D. of Taber partnership. It also wants to purchase simulation software and hardware that will allow for virtual training. A utility trailer for hauling equipment to and from the shooting range is needed, as are capital funds to commence the design for the possible expansion of the TPS station building.

 The capital items will be reviewed further by council at a later meeting. MacDonald said the commission went through the budget line by line and is requesting what is required to provide adequate and effective policing to the community in 2025.

 The commission included a chart showing the general breakdown of revenues and expenses for both the approved 2024 and proposed 2025 budget. Under revenues, fines were listed at $255,000 for both years. Government transfers were the highest revenues at about $1.04 million for 2024 and $1.2 million for 2025.

 At the top of the expenditures list were salaries, wages, and benefits, proposed to be just over $4.4 million in 2025, and up more than $300,000 from last year. Contracted and general services are projected at over $700,000, and materials, goods, and supplies were projected at a little over $200,000. In both years, $115,600 is to be directed to reserves.

 Coun. Brewin asked MacDonald how many other police forces carried ballistic helmets, and MacDonald said, “I would think they all do.”

 “It seems like one of our highest budget items is our police force, so I want to be sure that we’re really being careful here,” Brewin said, citing the added expense.

 Chief Abela made a few important distinctions about the budget increase. He said that losing three officers required a significant increase to the budget, though the department had offset some of that by hiring a senior officer. He said that the TPS will continue to try to hire experienced officers, but couldn’t guarantee that would happen. Therefore, the budget needs to allow for the training of new recruits.

 “Also, the minister of public safety (Mike Ellis) in 2024 announced that we have to use body cams. It’s mandatory for municipal police agencies in the province,” Abela said. “We budgeted $80,000 for a position in 2023 which was approved in 2024 to be hired in July. We delayed that due to some budget issues and staffing issues, and are in the final process of making that selection now. That will be felt in 2025 for a full-time equivalency of that position to handle our digital evidence management that comes through the door. If you take away those two numbers, we don’t have a budget increase.”

 “We’re also bringing in $90,000 in revenue, anticipated for 2025,” he said. “I’m not sure of any other department in the Town that actually brings revenue to that extent associated to service delivery, outside of maybe public works.” He said that the revenue money that comes in offsets the dispatch and 911 communications operations and allows the department to build capacity to meet the contracts it has in place with other partners, at no cost to the Taber taxpayer.

 Abela also clarified that $6,000 for ballistic helmets was a total, not per officer figure, and a price that “helps me sleep at night.” Additionally, any budgeted money that the department does not spend, like the wages of resigned officers, comes back to council as Town revenue.

 The chief concluded by giving council the town’s Cop to Pop ratio: 1:562. He calculated for a population of 9,000, though the mayor said he thought the town was over 10,000. Abela’s calculation falls closely in line with the provincial average of 1:550, and he’s not asking for a larger staff at this point. “We have sufficient police officers employed with the TPS within our crime index and our crime mandate to deal effectively with the issues that we have,” he said.

 No motion was required and the police presentation was chalked up as the first round of deliberations.