KITCHENER -- Delegates renewed a call to reduce the 2021 budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service at a public meeting on Thursday night.

WRPS is asking for more than $185 million this year, an increase of $5 million over last year.

Eleven delegates spoke against that budget, saying it's time to change policing in the region.

"If the ultimate goal is community safety, it is time to step back," delegate Lori Campbell said.

Most delegates repeated three specific requests in response to calls to defund the police. First, they want police to resubmit their budget with a zero per cent increase. Second, they're asking for a police-free safety model as a pilot project for at least six months. Third, delegates asked the additional funding for the budget to be reinvested in Black- and Indigenous-led community initiatives to address the root causes of crime.

"We know the safest communities have the most resources, not the most police," delegate Jessica Hutchinson said. "But, in Waterloo Region, we put significantly more resources into policing than to upstream programs for prevention."

"The ask being made by ReallocateWR is not anti-policing, it's pro-community," delegate Rebecca Warren said. "Police can't provide housing or food or addiction supports or counselling yet."

Earlier this week, Chief Bryan Larkin said reducing the budget would impact officers' safety. He promised changes in the near future, including a community safety and well-being division.

However, delegates at Thursday's meeting said changes shouldn't be driven by the police service.

"What our region requires is not our police to establish a new plan for community and safety well-being," delegate Laura Coakley said. "They were supposed to already be doing that for our past few centuries."

No one at the meeting spoke in favour of the proposed budget as it stands.

Regional council will vote on the police budget on Jan. 20.