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Halifax council weighs proposed increases to police budget

Halifax regional council is struggling with proposed increases to the city's police budget.

Halifax Regional Police asking for another $500K, while RCMP requests additional $225K

Pam Berman · CBC News ·
The side of a Halifax Regional Police vehicle.
The city's police budget was debated by Halifax Regional Council on Wednesday. (Robert Short/CBC)

Halifax regional council is struggling with proposed increases to the city's police budget.

The Halifax Regional Police force — which covers Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford — is asking for an additional $500,000 on top of nearly $8 million for arbitrated salary increases.

The RCMP — which polices the municipality's rural and suburban areas — is asking for a $225,000 increase, which will represent 70 per cent of the salaries for the six new officers the force wants to hire for the region.

The federal government will cover the other 30 per cent.

The city's budget for next year is already expected to include a 1.9 per cent increase to the average homeowner's tax bill.

"I'm struggling a little bit with this one, I really am, because we put pretty stringent guidelines in place for budget," said Mayor Mike Savage.

"My preference at this point would be to say, look, we would ask the police commission to give us another plan. Either prioritize the positions you need, or, can you phase it in over two or three years? This is going to be a tough year."

Councillors deferred the decision on the RCMP request until the end of March.

The proposal from Halifax Regional Police was sent back to the police commission, asking it to prepare a budget without the extra half-million dollars. That budget will also be debated at the end of March.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pam Berman

Reporter

Pam Berman is CBC Nova Scotia's municipal affairs reporter. She's been a journalist for almost 35 years and has covered Halifax regional council since 1997. That includes four municipal elections, 19 budgets and countless meetings. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected]

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