Don’t expect to see the Chatham-Kent Police Service Board (CKPSB) resort to having a PR firm deliver its budget requests to municipal council.
That’s what happened this year in London, as the London Police Services Board spent in excess of $100,000 retaining a firm to deliver the budget information to London city council.
Councillors said in previously published reports they felt pressured by such a move, while the board defended the action, saying they needed the expertise to handle a $672-million request.
Pat Weaver, chair of the CKPSB, said to not expect to see such a thing take place here.
“Considering the Chatham-Kent Police Service budget process and the co-operation we’ve had with council over the years, there will never been any reason to put anybody between us,” he said. “The transparency has got to stay there.”
What occurs locally is the board and the chief of police hammer out a proposed budget and then the chief presents it to council during budget deliberations.
Weaver added that changes to the Police Act earlier this year make it easier for municipal councils to actually reject a police budget.
“With the new Police Act, a municipality, or a council, used to be able to refuse a budget. But under the new Act, they can actually propose their own budget,” he said. “As long as their proposition meets the provincial standards of supply of service, they can challenge any other part of the police budget.”
Weaver said preventing such an action is to continue to communicate.
“It is the most important thing there is. It’s one of the biggest reasons for changes in the Police Act. It’s forcing police services to co-operate more with their municipalities,” he said.
