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City councilors have voted to set Edmonton Police Service operating funding at $407 million in 2023, essentially the same amount as this year, while also voting to bring back a police funding formula.
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All members of council save for Coun. Michael Janz voted to approve the funding level.
“$407 million does give that certainty and predictability to the service so they can continue to plan,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
“But also we need to recongize that the way we are funding our services is not sustainable in the current climate.”
A second amendment calling for EPS funding to align with existing department processes for the development of an operating budget was defeated 8-5.
The $407 million was determined in part to account for lower than projected revenue from photo radar purposes.
In voting against the funding, Janz echoed earlier comments by Coun. Aaron Paquette that the city was building “tomorrow’s budget on yesterday’s circumstances.”
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“I worry that by setting the $407 (million), and building a budget at $407 (million), we’re accepting a lot of the same assumptions.”
Coun. Tim Cartmell stressed the need for stable funding and move the ongoing debate forward and limit future discussions by establishing a consistent framework.
“Maybe we get away from month-long conversations like this one,” he said.
“If we look at police services around North America that have made changes to their budgets in a reactionary way… how many of those cities have turned around and made reactions in the other direction?”
The vote on the police funding formula called for EPS and the Edmonton Police Commission to develop a new funding formula along with city administration.
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That measure was supported by all councilors except for Janz and Coun. Andrew Knack.
“I hope that as we develop the formula that we are cognizant of the realities that we are facing as a city,” Sohi said.
Formula paused in 2020
The policy used to calculate ongoing police funding was paused in 2020 in the wake of a global reckoning on racism and calls for heightened police accountability and reform. Council instead opted to increase the budget by a lower amount in the 2021 and 2022 budgets.
The funding formula used between 2016 and 2020 factored inflation and the city’s expected population growth into the police budget, which amounted to increases each year.
Police receive the most money of any item in Edmonton’s municipal budget — $407.2 million in 2022
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City managers had recommended that council bring back a funding formula to give police predictable amounts of money each year.
Edmonton was also the only municipality city managers could find that takes this kind of multi-year approach.
While the EPS operating budget for 2022 is $384.8 million, police also received $22.2 million of the city’s photo radar revenues, making next year’s budget essentially a freeze. The city will still need to decide what to do with programs funded through photo radar as that pool of cash is drying up, largely due to changes in provincial regulations.
— with files from Lauren Boothby
