Woodstock mayor ‘comfortable’ with proposed 7.6% police budget hike

Woodstock’s police force is asking city hall for seven per hundred more in funding this year, including money for new hires to keep pace with the city’s growing population.

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The city’s final budget is set to be finalized in two weeks, and Woodstock’s top cop pitched the police service’s budget proposal to councilors at a meeting earlier this week.

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“The city is growing, and your police service needs to continue to grow with it to provide effective and efficient policing, now and into the future,” Woodstock’s police Chief Rod Wilkinson said at the meeting.

The Woodstock department is proposing nearly a $21-million police budget, almost $1.5 million more than the 2023 budget for a 7.64 per cent increase.

Wilkinson said staffing increases and better technology are needed to keep pace with growing communities and workload for the city’s police.

Included in the proposed budget is the addition of five officers, as well as the purchase of body cameras, which garnered support from 82 per cent of phone respondents, and 83 per cent of online respondents, in a community survey conducted by the department, Wilkinson said. The Woodstock department currently has a complement of roughly 85 officers and 50 civilian staff, according to its website.

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An improved emergency response capacity, so officers can arrive at calls in a timely fashion to keep pace with the growth of Woodstock, was another priority listed in the presentation.

Also, rising costs, such as salary increases for staff and vehicle and fuel prices, were highlighted in Wilkinson’s budget proposal.

Woodstock Mayor Jerry Acchione said Friday he was “comfortable with the police budget” proposal.

In Wilkinson’s presentation, he said the city’s population is expected to swell to 50,000 people by 2025.

Woodstock’s growth isn’t unexpected.

In October, Acchione pledged to build 5,500 new homes by 2031 as part of the Ontario government’s More Homes Built Faster Act.

As the city’s population grows, there will be a need for more officers despite forces across the province facing a shortage of new applicants.

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Last year, the provincial government announced it would get rid of post-secondary education requirements while eliminating tuition fees at the Ontario Police College to encourage and expand the number of recruits.

Woodstock hasn’t had any trouble attracting applicants to the city’s police force, Acchione said.

“We are very fortunate, but I think that just goes to show you how desirable the City of Woodstock is to live, work and play,” the mayor said.

The city will use technology to improve law enforcement where possible, “but, at times, bodies are going to be the only way to help get (things) done here in the City of Woodstock as we grow,” Acchione said.

The chief cited drugs, police visibility, crime and homelessness in the city’s downtown as being the top concerns raised by Woodstock residents.

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“The investment is a critical step to ensure we are well positioned to meet the safety needs of our diverse, vibrant and growing community,” Wilkinson said during his presentation.

Woodstock’s increase pales in comparison to the 28 per cent increase in funding London’s force is set to receive in 2024 — a $37.1 million bump that will raise the city’s annual police budget to $168 million.

Woodstock’s proposed total overall budget for 2024 is almost $98 million, with a property tax increase of 4.86 per cent to residents that would add $50.50 for every $100,000 in assessed value.

City council will finalize the budget on March 21.

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@BrianWatLFPress

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