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Oak Bay Police hold the line on budget increase

Demise of Regional Crime Unit results in $90,000 from the budget

The defunct Regional Crime Unit can claim some credit for keeping the increase down in the Oak Bay Police budget for 2015.

The total provisional budget, including transfers from reserves, shows a 0.46 per cent increase, according to the budget prepared by Chief Const. Andy Brinton. The operating fund of just over $4.4 million shows a 0.16 per cent decrease.

The RCU was a $90,000 budget item in previous years, Brinton told council Monday night.

“That offsets many of these increases,” Brinton said.

The regional dive team folding also caused a $5,000 boon to the budget.

Increases on the tech side of things include $11,000 for the CREST upgrades and a new security feature in records management that includes an ongoing licensing fee.

The budget includes $67,000 – the estimated cost for renovation of a ladies locker room in a building that now includes nine women in policing and administration roles. Of that, $35,000 would come from a structural repairs reserve. It will also require modifying an existing bathroom in the building for the public.

The department also saved for replacement of a vehicle in 2015. While no vehicle type is yet identified, $40,000 is set aside in the vehicle replacement reserve to replace Car 74, a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria.

Conferences and meetings will see a rise as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, held in Victoria this year, is scheduled to take place in Quebec next year. Also five members plan to attend the Leadership Conference, which wasn’t held in 2014.

A more than $3,000 reduction in overtime is credited to special event overtime now billed back to event organizers and savings in support staff backfill by increasing the front counter employee hours from 0.5 to a 0.6 full-time equivalent position.

The police budget will be incorporated into to the 2015 municipal budget.

While administration and protective services salaries are unchanged from 2012, collective bargaining for those salaries is expected to begin later this year.

 

cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com