Final approval by town council slated for December

LAURIE WEIR

The Smiths Falls Police Service is projecting a 21 per cent budget increase for 2025, raising the total from $5.5 million last year to $6,645,525. 

Police Chief Jodi Empey outlined the proposed budget during a Nov. 20 police services board meeting.

Empey attributed the increase to several factors. Part-time wages have been elevated due to a parental leave replacement and coverage for staff vacations and illnesses. Training expenses have also contributed, alongside ongoing staffing challenges.

“We’re currently staffing 10 officers on the front lines, which is well below what we should have,” Empey said.

The chief noted that there hadn’t been a significant budget increase in several years.

“Overtime, we’re riding very high at $184,000,” she said. “We are almost $65,000 over budget for our overtime.”

New staff hires, approved at the previous board meeting, will cost approximately $120,000 in 2025. The service has also incurred generator maintenance costs, though these will be covered by the complex maintenance budget.

Empey expressed optimism about securing additional funding, noting recent grant applications, including a $200,000 Victim Support grant.

“This grant, if successful, will also help pay for officer training for cases involving intimate partner violence [IPV],” she said. “There’s a lot of courses that our officers are going to have to do under this new [Community Safety and Policing] Act, and I want to ensure that our officers are trained in domestic violence investigations and sexual assault investigations.”

Population growth and increasing complexity

The town’s growing population is also straining resources, Empey said. By 2025, Smiths Falls is projected to reach 11,500 residents, compared to 9,250 in 2021.

“Our budget line has always stayed stable through the years. COVID helped that as well because there weren’t as many calls, and the complexity of calls wasn’t as bad as they are today,” she explained.

Empey added that the rise in complex cases—particularly drug enforcement, traffic issues, and IPV—reflects a trend seen across Ontario. The service handles about 800 calls per month, including a high-profile missing person case that requires daily attention.

Staffing challenges

A recent internal poll revealed that over half of the respondents reported feeling unsafe, and all staff respondents expressed burnout due to understaffing.

“Our service has one of the higher crime severity index rates,” Empey said.

Cases of IPV have also risen, with 226 incidents reported by October this year, compared to 212 in 2023 and 170 in 2022.

“We follow the IPV inquest procedures to ensure there is no other femicide in the community,” Empey said, referencing the 2022 inquest into the deaths of Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam.

While the Smiths Falls Police Service has traditionally been proactive, it has shifted to a more reactionary stance over the past two years due to resource constraints.

“Additional staffing will take the pressure off the front line a bit and ensure we’re compliant with the new Community Safety and Policing Act,” Empey said, adding that the service aims for a complement of 30 staff.

Balancing costs and community safety

Board member Chris McGuire acknowledged that the budget increase would likely lead to a tax hike.

“I think it’s hopeful that maybe there will be some cost recovery from the province, but I’m also not holding my breath,” he said.

McGuire emphasized the need for public understanding of the increase.

“It’s disappointing how high it is,” he said. “I understand why it’s as high as it is, but I think it’s time for the community to have a conversation on policing and get more understanding on the money they’re spending and the service they get.”

Mayor and board member Shawn Pankow said he and the chief reviewed the budget line by line, making some amendments to reduce costs.

“We have to look at the realities we face,” Pankow said. “As much as we’d like to look at a 10 per cent increase, that means we’re probably not going to provide adequate policing for our community.”

Pankow noted that the police budget represented 37 per cent of municipal taxes in 2016, but this has since decreased to 28 per cent in 2024. The proposed increase would bring it to 33 per cent in 2025.

“To ensure the health and wellness of our service, we have to invest in personnel,” he said.

The board will reconvene in early December to finalize the budget.