By Taylor MacPherson

P.A. Police Commissioners look to pinch pennies

Apr 24, 2017 | 2:00 PM

With less funding coming from the province than previous years, Prince Albert Police Service is looking to meet a request from the city by finding $200,000 in savings.

Although the department was granted a $1.17 million increase in November, an austere provincial budget forced the city’s budget committee to re-work their allotments and ask several departments to come up with more ways to save.

Police Chief Troy Cooper said the city’s Board of Police Commissioners heard options for potential cuts during the in-camera portion of their meeting this morning, but based on the current department budget their options are somewhat limited.

“We have a budget that’s 87 per cent salaries and wages,” Cooper told paNOW. “Whatever we do as far as finding savings, it’s going to have to come through salaries and wages at some point.”

Fortunately, Cooper said, the department will likely be able to realize a portion of the required savings this year by leaving vacated or seconded positions empty for a period of time. Cooper said he hopes strategic staffing choices will allow the police service to find savings without leaving themselves short-handed and impacting public safety.

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Although Cooper said staffing choices may allow the department to manage through to next year, 2018 will likely require some difficult decisions to be made.

“2018 is going to take a little bit more analysis,” Cooper said. “We’re probably going to have to differ some decision-making between now and closer to the end of the year before we make tough decisions.”

The police service’s bylaw arm has been actively seizing vehicles for unpaid parking violations, but Cooper noted the money recovered by the program goes to the coffers of the city, not the police service.

Cooper said he expects the department will soon be in a position to announce where the savings will come from.

“Once the board makes some decisions around where they’d like to see those cuts come, that’ll be communicated,” he said. “After the discussion today I’m hoping that the board will have some input that we can publicly announce.”

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews