KITCHENER – Waterloo regional police are trimming their proposed budget for next year.
At the Police Services Board meeting on Wednesday, the police service announced it will shave off an estimated $551,000 from its 2020 spending plan.
Police say the leadership team was able to find an increase in grant funding, use less money for their portion of a new radio system and decrease fuel estimates thanks to the addition of eight hybrid police vehicles.
In total, the proposed budget for 2020 is more than $181 million, still an increase of over seven per cent compared to 2019.
The revised budget will still mean an annual increase of around $33 for the average household.
That means an average home will pay around $669 per year for policing services.
Also discussed during Wednesday's meeting was the financial toll of unsolicited street parties in Waterloo.
The two notable ones this year, St. Patrick's Day and homecoming, cost police an estimated $465,000 in staffing, with about 20 per cent of that money coming from police overtime.
