Edmonton mayor states police funding ‘kind of a puzzle’ for the city

Key takeaways: 

• Mayor Amarjeet Sohi states different units have been cut while police have not.
• Edmonton city council listens from the police at a conference Tuesday, as they examine the suggested police funding for 2022. 

Police budget 2022: 

The future of policing in Edmonton is under scrutiny similarly as the city council examines the police budget for 2022 as a portion of the city’s working and capital budget reviews. 

The budget for Edmonton police is placed to rise by $12 million the following year to $396 million from the $384 million in 2021.

That’s 0.7 per cent of the city’s offered 1.8 per cent property tax growth.

At a council session Tuesday, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi stated he’s exploring for a balance. 

“One of the issues we have is the economic sustainability of EPS Edmonton Police Service,” Sohi stated. “If we continue on this trend, it will be very difficult for us to maintain services in other areas of the city.”  Source – cbc.ca

Of the tax levy gathered from Edmontonians, 22 cents of each dollar goes to policing, which is a problem, Sohi stated. 

Also read: Environment Canada relaxes icy rain alerts for Edmonton, other zones

While city functions accepted a 1.5 per cent decrease across the earlier three years, the police budget didn’t, he spoke. 

“This is a kind of a dilemma, that’s why we must work together in a collaborative way to tackle these challenges,” Sohi stated.  Source – cbc.ca

The biggest portion of the budget growth in 2022 will go toward 41 more posts within EPS, the budget exhibits. 

Because of inflation, It’s also costing additionally to purchase supplies, computer hardware and software. 

Police Chief Dale Mcfee fielded inquiries from councillors on Tuesday, stating police are operating with community groups on various methods. 

“We’re not requesting for more right now because we’re trying — a lot of different innovations,” McFee stated. “We just want to resume to complete what we’ve asked to deliver.”  Source – cbc.ca