Chief Blair’s budget increase request rejected
Posted October 5, 2011 3:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Toronto Police Services Board has rejected Chief Bill Blair’s request for more money in the force’s 2012 budget, and has ordered him to submit a revised budget next week.
The board was holding a special meeting to consider several items, including Blair’s controversial request for a budget increase of 1.5 per cent or $14.3 million to $944.7 million next year.
Board members told the chief Wednesday to report back Oct. 13 with his recommendations for an operating budget of $886.4 million, a figure the city’s chief financial officer had set as a target for the force in May.
The board said it recognized the constraints in achieving that target, and has asked Blair to provide his recommendations for achieving it over two years.
The chief wasn’t available for comment after the meeting, but board chair Alok Mukherjee told reporters, “Next week when we have the chief’s report, we’ll have a better basis to make some decisions.”
Late last week, Blair submitted a report to the board asking for the budget increase.
The request contradicted an order by Mayor Rob Ford’s administration that all city departments cut their respective budgets by 10 per cent for next year. The city is trying to plug a 2012 operating deficit of $774 million, though the city manager has said that figure is between $500 million and $600 million.
On Monday, Blair met with the mayor at city hall. Details of their meeting weren’t disclosed. But Blair told reporters after that a 10 per cent budget cut would mean fewer people on the payroll.
“I’m not recommending that to the board, and I’m certainly not recommending that to the mayor.”
Blair said that the force has implemented every “efficiency” it could find, and “we quite frankly have really stretched the organization and our ability to continue to deliver adequate and effective policing services.”
Ford told reporters Monday, “The chief understands the challenges that we’re facing in the city … and I feel very confident that the board and the chief will find the efficiencies that we need.”
