Hamilton police board's budget committee is 'undemocratic,' Coun. Kroetsch says

A councillor who sits on the Hamilton police board's budget committee says it lacks transparency and is "undemocratic."

Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch told CBC Hamilton he is concerned about how the committee has been run.

Back in September the committee agreed there would be a minimum of four meetings, but has only had one. Kroetsch also said he wasn't given adequate time to review the budget ahead of the meeting.

And now time is running out.

The board is supposed to ratify its proposed budget in December and present the budget to city council in January.

"I'm deeply concerned … I deeply object to the whole process," Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch said during a recent board meeting on Nov. 23.

The police budget has become a more polarized topic since the murder of George Floyd, a Black Minneapolis man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.

Policing accounts for the largest chunk of the city's budget when compared to other services. This year it was $195 million, up $12 million from the year before. That's almost nine percent of the city's total $1.07 billion budget.

Kroetsch said the committee's inability to meet more often could impact budget deliberations.

"The entire line by line police budget was sent to me maybe 24 hours before I was meant to be at a budget committee meeting for the first time," he said.

"The city council budget goes through several months of meetings. If this is the largest part of city council's budget … we ought to be able to meet the minimum."

Committee is supposed to have at least 4 meetings

The budget committee is led by Fred Bennink, the board's vice chair.

Kroetsch was the only other member until last Thursday on Nov. 23, when Dr. Anjali Menezes, the board's newest member, joined the committee.

Until September of this year, the budget committee never had a written terms of reference and would generally meet once a year.

This September, the committee established a minimum of four meetings. They aren't public meetings. So far, it has only had one, which took place last Friday on Nov. 24.

There were three other meetings scheduled earlier but they fell through because they didn't reach quorum, the minimum number of members needed to make the meeting official.

The committee's rules state the vice chair, Bennink, selects meeting dates, which Kroetsch has criticized because it doesn't account for when other members are available.

Kroetsch points to how two planned meetings in October didn't happen because he couldn't attend them — and how Bennink set meeting dates before the committee was officially formed.

Back in September, Bennink told the board he set those dates early because "a lot of people" are involved in the meetings and he wanted to be fair to them.

"The clock is ticking and we need to start meeting," Bennink said at the time.

Kroetsch threatened to leave the committee, which led the board to have its administrative director set dates that meet members' schedules as best as possible.

Board chair and vice chair defend process

During the Nov. 23 meeting, Pat Mandy, chair of the HPS board, said she and Bennink held a meeting that morning.

Kroetsch said he never got an invitation and the meeting shouldn't have happened because it also wouldn't have had quorum.

Bennink declined an interview but told CBC Hamilton in an email the meeting was actually cancelled and said while there have been quorum issues, the committee is trying to be inclusive.

Mandy, in an interview, also said the meeting was cancelled.

She and Bennink said the board had a vacant spot, which was only filled by Menezes this month, and that also impacted things.

Mandy said she isn't concerned the committee has only met once.

She also said she interpreted the four meeting minimum as quarterly meetings.

"How could we have four meetings within a month or six weeks?" Mandy said. 

"We're always looking at what can we do to improve and one of the things is to maybe make it clear it was quarterly — or it may not be. I'll have to take it to the board."

'It probably does cause the public some concern'

The committee had its first meeting last Friday, on Nov. 24, but Kroetsch was upset about receiving the police budget presentation roughly 24 hours before the meeting.

He said it wasn't enough time to review the whole budget.

Bennink said all budget committee members received a copy of the budget at the same time, and called the timing "standard procedure."

Kroetsch said the committee's inability to meet the minimum may lower the public's trust in the committee and the board.

"It probably does cause the public some concern," he said.

Mandy said the board is doing "due diligence" and assured people the budget is being reviewed.

"In detail," she said.

The next budget committee meeting is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 1.