Contract settlements, provincial safety/policing act add to strain on Kingston Police budget

Police services all over the province are facing increased budget strains this year, and Kingston Police is no exception.

At a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 27, 2024, the Kingston Police Services Board (KPSB) passed and approved the proposed 2025 operating budget for the Kingston Police and the Kingston Police Services Board, resulting in a total net expenditure budget of $54,053,627. The recent settlement of contract negotiations and the impact of the Ontario government's Community Safety & Policing Act (April 2024) were two of the biggest factors affecting the increase.

The 2025 capital budget request for Kingston Police was $2,785,000. The nearly 10 per cent increase is meant to restate the base budget to 2025 dollars and can be directly attributed to the recently settled collective agreements, Chief of Police Scott Fraser explained to the KPSB. These agreements include adjustments to wages, benefits, and other compensation provisions as negotiated, representing a significant portion of the overall budget request. 

“Everyone has deeply considered this budget,” said Fraser, “which aims to address our operational needs and priorities. It also maintains public safety, meets legislative requirements, and, like police everywhere, considers inflationary pressures of new investments in technology, training, and infrastructure."

“The whole purpose of the presentation today is to ask the board if we can continue to deliver effective and efficient policing. Our budget really reflects this: we're preparing to be future-ready,” the chief noted. 

According to the report, prepared by Fraser and Director of Finance Scarlet Eyles, this budget ensures Kingston Police can meet its contractual obligations. In addition, the budget includes a 3.84 per cent increase to offset long-term absences, support the implementation of the Kingston Police Services Board’s Strategic Plan including enhanced police presence in the downtown core, and meet legislative requirements of the province's Community Safety & Policing Act (CSPA), the updated version of which came into effect April 1, 2024. 

Implementing the CSPA has introduced several budgetary impacts for police services and boards, including training requirements, equipment upgrades, uniform modifications, legal and compliance costs, and administrative expenses related to enhanced oversight and reporting obligations. The chief noted that these legislative requirements are non-discretionary, and Kingston Police have little to no influence over them. 

“I think it's important... to understand: we have two sides of our budget this year. And any year you have a collective agreement that is settled, you'll have different pressures," said Fraser.

“Had we settled the collective agreement last year, we would have had this conversation last year. So in that regard, if we're to take our 2024 budget --- keeping everything the exact same --- to 2025, we're starting at a 9.90 [per cent increase]. So we're at 9.9 before we even do anything concerning operating expenses.”

To highlight some of the City’s unique challenges, the chief briefly outlined the populations involved in policing Kingston: “It's a very diverse community. We have the luxury of having many things in our community, including our educational institutions, our custodial institutions, and CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Kingston, to name a few.”

“Our academic partners bring in about 35,000 full-time students each year, which we add to the population of 142,119,” said Fraser, explaining that students are not considered residents because of their transient nature, with most of them having a home address outside the city.

“We also have our CFB Kingston, which is a great partner to all of us. There are just over 3,400 members, 286 reserve members, and just over 800 civilian members,” the chief continued. 

“Another thing that we wanted to discuss is our aging population. Kingston has 2,200 seniors over the age of 85, and about 18 per cent of our population is around... or just over the age of 65… For [police], it has some lasting effects with regards to an obviously very vulnerable group of people. When it comes to fraud and scams… they're one of the main targets for most criminals on that end. And then [police] encounter things such as people with Alzheimer's or dementia... We often have people who may go missing.”

The chief noted that crime in Kingston has improved, based on the Crime Severity Index, which measures police-reported crime that reflects the relative seriousness of individual offences and tracks changes in crime severity. 

“The Crime Severity Index tells us if police-reported crime was relatively more or less serious than in previous years. The Violent Crime Severity Index for Kingston (as reported by Statistics Canada) has been increasing since 2019 to an all-time high of 82 in 2022, but decreased from 2023 to 66.08. The same trend can be seen for the total Crime Severity Index. This index highlights that crime in Kingston is still serious. but has improved slightly,” he said.

Revenues expected 2025 

The report suggests that budgeted revenues of $5.7 million are increasing by a total of $314,000, reflecting an 5.88 per cent increase over the 2024 budget of $5.3 million. 

Revenues contributing to this increase were as follows:

• Revenue generated from police background/record checks is anticipated to increase by $50,000. This reflects a pilot project with a third-party criminal record check provider to process additional background checks. 
• Provincial funding is projected to increase by $180,000, which is 8.83 per cent higher than the prior year. This is primarily due to the increase in Court Security and Prisoner Transportation (CSPT) funding, which has been $182,000.
•   Expenditure recoveries are anticipated to increase by $90,000 or 5.10 per cent.Removed $60,000 contribution from the City of Kingston for administrative monetary penalty revenues, reflecting actual revenues realized.
  The 2025 community response budget includes a $200,000 contribution from the City toward downtown support in and around City Hall. The City Hall Liaison Officer Pilot project includes assigning a dedicated sworn police officer to City Hall. This initiative replaces the previous contribution from the Downtown Kingston Business Improvement Area (BIA) towards a downtown officer.

Expenses 2025

Beyond the increased staffing costs, the cost of materials, supplies, and fees is estimated at $3.1 million, an increase of $273,000 or 9.69 per cent over the 2024 budget.

This includes costs such as uniforms and protective clothing, gasoline and diesel fuel, insurance, fleet parts and tires, ammunition, telecommunications, and education and training. The report notes, "While inflationary increases are impacting several expenditures in this category, efforts have been made to manage the level of discretionary expenditures to offset inflationary pressures where possible.”

Of note:

• Gasoline and diesel fuels are projected at $539,000 in 2024, representing an increase of $43,000 or 8.61 per cent compared to the previous year. This projection is based on an estimated average fuel price of $1.60 per litre, which includes the continuation of the provincial fuel tax reduction. The budget assumes no increases to the volume of litres required.
• Software includes $34,000 for HealthIM (digital public safety system) annual license fees, which are offset by corresponding grant funds. This software assists officers during emergency mental health crisis calls. 
• The advertising and marketing budget is decreasing by $17,000 for 2025, reflecting the actual requirements for the upcoming year. Previously budgeted initiatives, including the implementation of a new recruitment platform, have been successfully completed, reducing the need for additional funding. 
• Insurance is $99,000 higher, primarily due to higher than anticipated premiums. Kingston Police are covered under the City of Kingston’s combined insurance plan. The increase reflects rising insurance costs and additional items requiring coverage due to technological advancements. For example, new equipment such as drones has been added to the inventory, necessitating expanded insurance protection. 
• $15,000 was reduced from the Kingston Police Services Board budget for recruitment, as all positions are currently filled, and no significant recruitment efforts are anticipated over the next year.
• Education and training costs are increasing by $60,000 to comply with the mandated requirements of Ontario Regulation 87/24 under the province’s Community Safety and Policing Act. This regulation specifies mandatory training for police officers, including the use of force, de-escalation techniques, and role-specific training.

Contracted services 

The report notes that this category incorporates asset maintenance and support contracts and other service contracts including fire alarm testing, cleaning services, winter control, City building maintenance charges, elevator maintenance, professional services, consultants, and investigative services. These costs, estimated at $4.8 million, are increasing by $236,000 or 5.15 per cent from 2024 levels. 

The report attributes the projected increase in contracted services to auto transcription services and ongoing costs associated with maintaining and servicing conducted energy devices (colloquially known as tasers). These services are critical for maintaining effective operations and ensuring compliance with evolving technology and equipment standards. The increase is offset by a reduction of $110,000 for Microsoft 365 licenses. 

Also, the report notes that the City of Kingston contracts out building maintenance services. The budget for these services is increasing by $32,000, reflecting the annual three per cent contractual increase and an additional amount to include generator maintenance.

The full 2025 Budget Report can be viewed online, and the full KPSB meeting is available to view on YouTube.

The Kingston Police Services Board meets regularly on the third Thursday of each month (with additional meetings, such as the one on November 27, scheduled as required), beginning at 12 noon in the William Hackett Boardroom at Kingston Police Headquarters, 705 Division Street.