Port Moody will have the same number of police officers in 2013 as it does now but taxpayers could be paying nearly a million dollars more for the municipal force.
And a chunk of that will go to personnel-related issues.
The PoMo police board's five-year financial plan was presented to council Tuesday night, with a request for a $9.4-million operating budget for 2013. The 10.74% jump is an increase of almost $908,000 over the 2012 budget.
Almost $600,000 comes from salary increases while another $262,000 will go to E-Comm, the regional 911 service. That cost was previously reported in the city fiscal services fund and doesn't represent a jump in the city's overall costs, bringing the budget increase closer to 7%.
Three other big-ticket items in a list of projects totalling almost $120,000 relate to human resources at Port Moody Police Department, including two connected the recent announcement by Chief Const. Brad Parker that he will retire next June.
Besides budgeting $25,000 to hire a search firm to find a Parker's replacement, the board is asking for $51,000 for "executive mentoring and leadership development" so it can respond "to a need for succession planning and enhancing employee morale."
As well, the PMPD budget request includes $24,000 to conduct an employee satisfaction survey related to the department's 2012-'13 strategic plan.
Other items on the police board wish list for next year include:
$17,000 for repair of police building drainage (improper construction results in water pooling in the crawlspace, creating mould issues);
$7,000 for vests and safety jackets for community and victim services volunteers;
$9,000 for mandatory training for the identification unit (includes a 12-week program at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa);
and $3,500 for to replace outdated furniture with ergonomic pieces in the crime analyst area.
Coun. Gerry Nuttall, who chairs the city's finance committee, said the group will pore over each line of the police budget at Saturday's budget talks.
"We'll fine tune what's presented to us and if we see anything we can't really afford, we'll go back to them," Nuttall said, adding the proposed increase is "significant."
