A proposed North Bay Police budget that tops eight per cent had city council members doing a double take while working on the 2018 operating budget Wednesday night.
"Our jaws dropped when we saw an 8.2 per cent increase in the police budget," veteran councillor Derek Shogren told BayToday. "We told all ABC's (agencies, boards and commissions) at two per cent or under, but they (police) sent a budget that was not just 8.2 per cent but 1.1 million over the ask of two per cent."
That would create a "huge challenge" for the city if it's not reduced admits Shogren.
Two council members sit on the police board, councillor Mac Bain and mayor Al McDonald.
"The consensus around the table is the police need to go back to the drawing board and see what they can come up with. The average taxpayer is facing huge challenges as well. We've always had a good relationship with the police and hopefully that will continue and it doesn't get ugly," added Shogren.
"But certainly that would represent a huge impact on our budget. The entire city budget that we control is coming in at about half of one per cent but its the pressures from the partners we have like the Capitol Centre asking for an additional 10 per cent increase that's putting the pressure on.
"The majority of council, they're looking for something two per cent or under or maybe something starting with a one which is basically inflation."
But Chief Shawn Devine says nothing has been ratified by the Police services Board yet.
"We are continuing to have talks with the city. We did send a projection to City Hall where we felt the budget was going to address our needs for 2018 but I can't comment on that number. We may be well into Christmas before we have our numbers."
In 2016, their city levy equated $17,354,902 with approximately 89 percent being allocated to payroll.
Shogren told BayToday that this may be one of the few years council has been unable to wrap up the budget by the end of the fiscal year.
"We're putting pressure on everyone and certainly it's going to be an interesting month to see some of these groups sharpen their pencils and get some reasonable increases because the days of eight per cent increases for emergency services are gone."
