Moose Jaw council passes $12.8 million police budget

by Shawn Slaght

Second time was the charm as city council approved the revised 2025 budget from the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners.

The board initially submitted its operating and capital budgets during budget deliberations on January 15, but council rejected the proposed budget, citing that the increases exceeded the cost-of-living index by a considerable margin.

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On Monday, the board submitted its revised 2025 operating and capital budget for the Moose Jaw Police Service, and the updated budget was approved by the board during a meeting on Friday.

The amended operating budget is $12.8 million, an increase of $584,355, or 4.77 per cent, over 2024. The revised budget represents a saving of $325,516 over the previous budget submission, or 2.66 per cent.

Acting police chief Rick Johns explained that savings were found in salaries, as well as other areas.

“City council had the option of denying the police budget a second time and approving a funding level they deemed appropriate,” Johns told city council.

The police budget presented to council included $330,000 to be transferred from the Traffic Safety Reserve in order to support traffic safety initiatives and a capital budget of $234,431, with $79,569 in carry-forward for capital funding.

Mayor James Murdock praised the police service for finding the savings.

“I think it shows that the Moose Jaw Police Service listened to the requests of council, while keeping the safety of our community in mind,” Murdock said. “I’m reassured knowing that none of this will affect the safety component that our citizens are asking for.”

The Moose Jaw Police Service budget represents a 1.51 per cent mill rate increase. For the average property owner, that means an additional $28.06 per year, or $2.34 per month.