Prince Albert Police Service Chief Jon Bergen presents to council. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Budget 2021

Council unanimously approves $17.4 million police budget

Jan 6, 2021 | 4:59 PM

Prince Albert City Council has unanimously approved the 2021 police budget, granting the department $17,397,850 — a $649,490 increase from last year.

During Wednesday’s meeting, council stopped short of giving Chief Jon Bergen the additional funding he asked for to hire four new officers, but agreed to revisit the request later during budget deliberations.

The biggest chunk of the police budget increase will go toward salary increases, including 1.5 per cent under the current collective bargaining agreement. Additional money is also needed for personal protective equipment and extra cleaning in response to COVID-19. The service also plans to hire a casual traffic prosecutor who will conduct all Traffic Safety Act prosecutions.

Another new position, for a clinical psychologist who will create programs and provide counselling for staff dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, will be funded through secondment for 2021.

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Presenting to council, Bergen told the meeting he knew the $649,490 increase was significant, “but we wouldn’t ask if we didn’t need it.”

“We know that policing is expensive, we acknowledge that, we understand that, but we also know that what we’re doing day to day is more than any other police service,” Bergen said, referencing the large volume of calls PAPS respond to and the city’s high ranking on the national crime severity index.

The approved police budget increase equates to a two per cent mill rate tax increase for ratepayers. That means if council wants to bring the total tax increase in at under three per cent, something Mayor Greg Dionne has previously told paNOW he’s confident they can do, they’ll have to shave approximately $1.2 million dollars off other areas of adminstration’s proposed budget.

Budget deliberations continue Thursday.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom