MOOSE JAW — The Moose Jaw Police Service’s budget is on target so far this year, while it’s likely still responsible for covering the expenses to help upgrade the provincial 911 system, the acting chief says.
The police service presented a budget update during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Aug. 20 meeting, with the data showing revenues and expenses from Jan. 1 to June 30.
The agency budgeted $2,881,207 in revenues and $15,711,465 in expenses for this year, and as of June 30, it had received 37 per cent of its revenues — with $1.75 million still to come — and expended roughly 67 per cent of expenses, the report showed. Overall, the net revenues and expenses amounted to 51.88 per cent of the entire budget.
Of note, the organization budgeted $1,000 in revenue for unclaimed seized property but had acquired $4,212, or $3,212 more than expected.
On the expense side, the agency had budgeted $60,000 for psychological services and was over by $1,010; had budgeted $5,000 for subscriptions and publications and was over by $1,917; had budgeted $5,500 for contractual cleaning and was over by $1,607; and had budgeted $7,000 for employee benefits — retirement gifts, mainly — and was over by $8,480.
Acting Chief Rick Johns said the police service’s budget was “tracking” about where it should be. However, he pointed out that it’s difficult to project forward because sometimes not all revenues have arrived, which can skew the budget.
The budget showed that the organization had not yet received $250,000 in contractual revenues, while it was still waiting for $1.32 million in revenue from the province.
Asked about that amount, Johns said he is still having conversations with government officials, noting it is the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) mandate to upgrade infrastructure and technology in this area.
“The process is still taking place,” he remarked, noting the CRTC has given provinces a deadline of spring 2027 to fully upgrade the 911 communications technology. “So that’s currently in the works to work with the province and the suppliers to see how that would work and perhaps get some more recent and up-to-date pricing.”
Johns added that the police service included that expense in its budget to ensure it could comply with the federal mandate, while continuing negotiations with the provincial government.
Commissioner Jamey Logan expressed disappointment with that expense, saying the province had “offloaded” it onto the agency, which wasn’t fair.
The next police board meeting is on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
