A request to trim the 2025 budget for the Port Moody Police Department (PMPD) could result in an increase instead.
In a report to be presented to council’s finance committee tonight, Nov. 19, the city’s police board has recommended implementation of body-worn cameras for officers be delayed as well as the hiring of a new IT position to bolster and maintain the department’s technology needs.
The moves will save $226,400 and reduce a proposed increase to the department’s 2025 operating budget from 9.81 per cent to 8.74 per cent, said the report.
But another proposed move to shift funding for the department’s capital assets from Port Moody’s capital asset levy that it collects directly from the city’s tax payers will mean a one-time boost to its operating budget for the coming year of $266,700.
The net result would be a 10.53 per cent increase to the department’s 2025 budget.
The report said funding the department’s capital assets through an annual contribution to the police operating budget rather than through the levy will be more financially viable in the long run though, as assets will be funded only as they are needed.
It also “captures all police costs together providing greater transparency for the tax payer,” said the report.
The proposed changes come in response to a request from the finance committee to find potential reductions following the board’s presentation of its 2025-29 provisional budget on Oct. 25.
In that presentation, PMPD’s police chief Dave Fleugel said his department is having a hard time recruiting and retaining officers as many seek greener pastures at other forces, particularly the new municipal police department in Surrey which is preparing to take over from the RCMP.
Fleugel explained while Port Moody has been able to replace most of the 39 officers its lost in the past five years, each new hire comes with increased costs to recruit and train them as well as cover overtime demands on existing officers to make up for temporary staffing shortages.
Fleugel said the PMPD is also facing costly technological challenges like the body-worn cameras and managing the computer systems required to store and archive data they collect, as well as specialized investigations required for vehicle collisions because of their complex computerized systems.
Port Moody property owners are facing a proposed property tax increase of 8.52 per cent for 2025, although that could still change as council continues its deliberations seeks ways to find further efficiencies.
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in the Tri-Cities? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 Want to stay updated on Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
💬 Words missing in an article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
