Hamilton police board budget committee recommends 5.7% — $12.25M — increase for 2025

The Hamilton police board budget committee has recommended a 5.7 per cent, or approximately $12.25 million, increase over last year for the police service 2025 budget. 

At Thursday's meeting of the board, budget committee chair Don Robertson said the committee completed its fourth and final budget consultation meeting on Tuesday, and "after much deliberation and consideration" the three committee members unanimously supported the increase. The committee includes Robertson, city councillor Esther Pauls and Dr. Anjali Menezes, a citizen appointed by council.

"Quite frankly, it was a tremendous experience … to find efficiencies when required under tremendous financial and stressful times," Robertson said about Tuesday's meeting. "I'm tremendously proud that the committee came to a unanimous conclusion to supporting the budget." 

Board seeking public comment by Dec. 15

He said the board will also be turning to the public to get their opinion on the proposed budget. According to an updated news release sent Dec. 6, people can send feedback to the board's administrative director Kirsten Stevenson at kirsten.stevenson@hamilton.ca, by 5 p.m. on Dec. 15.

An earlier email, sent Thursday, Nov. 28, said community members could send feedback to Stevenson by 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.

The November release said "all correspondence" received in time will be published on the board's Dec. 17 agenda. People's full names are published and questions about that can be directed to Stevenson. 

The committee will present the proposed budget to the full police board at its Dec. 17 public meeting. 

As of 2024, policing accounted for 16 per cent of the average property tax bill — the largest component of the city's budget, Mike Zegarac, the city's general manager of finance, has said.

The 2024 police services budget totalled $214.8 million. The board initially asked for and was given a $16-million or 8.41 per cent increase over 2023. 

Menezes and fellow board member Coun. Cameron Kroetsch put forward ways to find $5 million in savings last year but the other members voted down all of their motions.

At Thursday's meeting, Mayor Andrea Horwath thanked the committee for the work they've done preparing the budget.

"I know that it's onerous, it's heavy-lifting and I just want to share my gratitude on that work," Horwath said.

Hamilton police Chief Frank Bergen said the committee followed directives shared by the mayor as they went about preparing the budget.

"We knew where the blue line was and where the red line was and made sure we stayed within those goal posts that were identified in your directive," he said.

"The public will see, as we present on Dec. 17, we truly took as a team … the importance of still providing adequate and effective policing, being able to meet and to be where we are to be, but more importantly to be able to manage the complex needs that we know that are within the city."