Victoria Police Board rejects city's request for smaller budget increase

The Victoria Police Board has rejected city council's request that it revise its budget proposal for the coming year.

The Victoria Police Board has rejected city council's request that it revise its budget proposal for the coming year.

Earlier this month, councillors asked city staff to develop a draft budget for the year that would cap property tax increases at the rate of inflation, which it calculated as 6.96 per cent.

The motion called for staff to ask the police board to draft a new budget at the same rate.

In a letter sent to Mayor Marianne Alto and councillors last week, police board finance committee chair Doug Crowder noted that the council's motion would limit this year's funding increase for the Victoria Police Department to $4,345,000.

The police board had previously requested a 9.6-per-cent increase, or a little more than $6 million.

"Although the board acknowledges the difficult choices council has to make during this inflationary period, the board is still of the position that the budget it has presented is one that meets the legislative requirements under the Police Act to provide adequate and effective policing to the city and Township (of Esquimalt)," Crowder wrote in the letter.

"Therefore, the board is not prepared to amend the budget as requested by council."