Niagara region's budget committee concerned about tax increases due to police budget requests, and need vs want
Niagara Regional police asked to tweak its request for a 7.1-percent funding increase from the region.
Many councillors on the region's budget committee scrutinized what the police are looking for, as they do their best to avoid tax increases.
Chief Bryan MacCulloch said with a growing Niagara population, comes more criminals. "It's having a significant impact on our resources while they're here, but more importantly, on our resources after the carnage and havoc they created while here in our community."
Regional Chair Jim Bradley said the police can appeal to a provincial adjudicator if it doesn't like council's vote result, which requested police to come back with adjustments to its funding request, that will be heard by council December 7th.
Chief MacCulloch stressed the force needs help, but Chair Jim Bradley echoed what many of his colleagues pointed to... needs vs wants. "I guess you can say that with a lot of budgets... I'll just pick a couple out here... a visual content creator, for $112,000, a communications training coordinator, for $148,000."
Chair Bradley added he is completely against the defunding the police movement, but against what the NRP is asking for now.
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