Councillor presses for answers on Waterloo Region police budget
How a projected police budget variance that showed a $6-million surplus at the end of the third quarter of 2023 ended up being $345,000 at the year’s end needs to be explained, according to Waterloo Region Coun. Rob Deutschmann.
“It’s notable that portions of the Q4 2023 report format have been altered and do not align with the prior quarterly reports for 2023,” Deutschmann said, during an administration and finance committee meeting this week.
Regional councillors deferred approval of the 2023 financial results in preparation for the annual audit, the majority agreeing that answers to questions are warranted prior to its next meeting, May 7. Council members were to have questions to finance staff by the end of the day on Friday.
The average quarterly deficit in sworn officers for 2023 was 33 officers per quarter. “This means that the Region of Waterloo was paying for 33 more officers than were hired throughout 2023,” Deutschmann said.
“We probably spent $4 million for officers that didn’t exist and at the same time, as a council, we reduced our plan to end chronic homelessness by four million dollars. So, while we were thinking we were supporting ourselves by having security in our community, we reduced that by taking money away from housing supports, food security, drug addiction programs, mental health programs.”
The officer shortage and the unlikeliness of being able to hire enough constable to meet the recommended complement was an issue brought forward by Deutschmann to try and find savings during 2024 budget deliberations last fall, however council approved a police budget with an additional 18 officers.
At that time, the Waterloo Regional Police Service said financial reports presented earlier in 2023 didn’t account for full-year adjustments, such as overtime payout, which occurs twice a year in June and December.
Yet Deutschmann contends police are using surpluses to fund reserves over and above budgeted amounts.
“The interfund transfer (reserves) account was budgeted for $5,675,000. There was a transfer of $7,360,269, which is $1,685,269 over budget,” Deutschmann wrote in his review presented to finance staff.
He also noted “meetings, training and conferences” exceeded budget by $631,105 with an explanation of “forgiving of Ontario Police College tuition loans to enhance equity amongst new recruits and stabilize staffing levels.”
“The issue is not the purpose of the spending, but the source of funds to support this program,” Deutschmann says.
“There is no suggestion that any reserve account was used for this program, but instead the funds would have come from operating surplus.”
Several council members including those who sit on Waterloo’s Region’s Police Services Board took umbrage with Deutschmann’s points and others who questioned the numbers. Coun. Doug Craig alluded to an “anti-police flair.”
Craig said questions surrounding the police budget got answered during the budget process.
“The police chief’s been here, the
Councillors deferred approval of the 2023 financial results in preparation for the annual audit, the majority agreeing that answers to questions are warranted prior to its next meeting
chair of the board has been here, and now we’re back to it again,” he said.
“I mean, it’s complete nonsense and I’m really offended by all of this, and I think members of the board are offended by it, too. We have a great police force, we have a very strong board, and they’ve been doing a great job, and the whole issue, again, of transparency comes up? I mean, give me a break here, folks.”
Regional Chair Karen Redman assured her colleagues that the police board asks tough questions and applies scrutiny and said policy dictates how surplus is used.
“It’s not the Wild West,” she said.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic warned councillors not to engage in a “filibuster” like opposition parties in upper levels of government. Coun. Jim Erb said he was disappointed in the narrative and negativity spreading to the police service.
“This has nothing to do with whether we support the police service and police board,” said Coun. Jan Liggett, adding that councillors should stop trying to shame others for asking questions.
If questions can’t be asked, why bother asking council to vote? said Coun. Chantal Huinink.
After a consultant’s report that showed an average annual police budget surplus of approximately $3 million, from 2019 to 2021, there have been surpluses of $284,000 and $345,000 the past two years, respectively, Deutschmann noted, adding that the way police report the numbers has changed.
“We just want to ensure that we get some clarity about what’s occurred because that’s our responsibility as individuals around this horseshoe to be satisfied on behalf of those who elected us,” he said.
“This is not a rubber stamp.” Police services board chair Ian McLean said the board is legislated to provide governance and accountability to ensure adequate and effective police service delivery to all citizens of Waterloo Region.
“Let there be no mistake, the (Waterloo Region Police Services Board) stands behind all information provided to the Region of Waterloo pertaining to WRPS finances and any questions submitted by Waterloo Region council will be evaluated,” McLean said in a statement.