Unexpected savings have WPS on track to balance books: interim chief
The financial outlook of the Winnipeg Police Service now looks brighter, which should slash millions off the city’s overall deficit.
Interim WPS chief Art Stannard said the most recent financial data indicates the service should be on track to balance its books by the end of this year.
“We (feel) very confident that we (will) be meeting our budget by year end,” Stannard told the Free Press Monday.
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Winnipeg Police Service Acting Chief Art Stannard said the police service is confident it’ll be able to stay within its budget for the year.
The WPS budget was set at $333 million for 2024.
Stannard said the service unexpectedly saved more than $500,000 on rent payments for its new north district station, after moving in later than expected.
The WPS also saw a boost in record-check and special-duty policing revenue, savings from some unplanned hiring delays and decreased overtime costs, he said.
During a finance committee meeting last week, a previous request to approve a $2.2-million WPS overrun was deferred until January, after Stannard told the committee the service is increasingly confident the extra money won’t be needed.
“It (is) a good news story for us… I’m proud of my staff. We meet every month, we go through the budget weekly and we have overtime committee meetings,” said Stannard.
He said deferring the funding request will ensure money is available if there are any financial surprises in December. Reports predicting a WPS shortfall were written prior to the most recent financial improvements, Stannard noted.
“The pressures on the city this year are so high, we wanted to at least tell (the finance committee members), don’t worry about our forecast. We’re pretty confident we’re getting within budget,” he said. “It will relieve some of the tension on the shortfall for the city.”
The changes follow a bleak recent budget forecast for Winnipeg overall, which predicted the city will end the year with a $23.4-million deficit. That November report was released prior to the improved police projections.
At the time, finance staff proposed a plan to transfer $14.3 million from the city’s financial stabilization reserve to cover the deficit, emptying the fund. The remaining $9.1-million shortfall would be covered in the 2025 budget.
If that happens, it would mark the first time in recent memory that the city addressed a previous year’s deficit in a new budget.
City council’s finance chairman said he was pleased to learn the city deficit now appears $2 million smaller.
“Every amount counts at this point, so that is certainly positive. I certainly appreciate the work of the service… for their work to try and get to this point,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty.
Browaty (North Kildonan) said a relatively late start to the snow this year could help further improve the city’s bottom line by reducing snow-clearing costs, though that will largely depend on this month’s weather.
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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Credit: Unexpected savings have WPS on track to balance books: interim chief
