Whereas the Region of Waterloo council passed the following resolution on February 22, 2023:
Whereas the Police Budget is the single largest line in the Region of Waterloos operating budget;
Whereas the Police Services Act gives the Police Board exclusive authority to decide the detailed composition of the Budget and the Region of Waterloo can only either accept or reject the Police budget in its entirety;
And Whereas this budgeting arrangement is best managed between the Board and the Council on a collaborative basis;
Whereas the community needs an opportunity to provide input before the budget is finalized;
And Whereas it was until recently the practice that the Board and Chief would present their budget to Council prior to the Boards final budget approval;
And Whereas this new practice works counter to the preferred collaborative approach;
Therefore Be it resolved that the Region of Waterloo Council respectfully request that the Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief of Police:
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- return to its past practice and present its draft annual budget to Regional Council, area municipalities, and to the community to allow time for both the Regional Council and the community to review and to provide comments prior to the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board finalizing its annual budget; and
- ensure that a community engagement process be included in the development of the annual budget prior to presenting its draft annual budget to Regional Council.
And whereas the Waterloo Region Police Services Board and the Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief of Police have not provided the Region of Waterloo Council with any formal response to the resolution;
And whereas the Police Services Board and the Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief of Police have not arranged to present a draft annual budget to Regional Council to allow time for Regional Council to review and to provide comments prior to the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board finalizing its annual budget, but instead intend to provide the Region of Waterloo council with an approved budget on November 22, 2023;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Region of Waterloo council express its dissatisfaction and disappointment in the lack of a formal response, and no attempt to accommodate the wishes of Region of Waterloo council, from the Waterloo Region Police Services Board and the Waterloo Region Police Service Chief of Police, as expressed in the Region of Waterloo resolution of February 22, 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Waterloo Region Police Service Board and the Waterloo Regional Police Service Chief of Police make arrangements for a presentation of the draft budget to the Region of Waterloo council prior to the finalization of the Police Services Budget and its presentation to Region of Waterloo council on November 22, 2023.