Hamilton taxpayers are paying twice for new police building: Green

The city has already coughed up its share toward a new Hamilton Police investigative services building, says Matthew Green.

Now putting a $3.6 million budget surplus toward it is like making city taxpayers pay twice.

The Ward 3 councillor wants to stop the service from putting the lion's share of its $3,680,948 surplus toward the more than $15 million building, which Hamilton is already paying $5 million toward.

Clearly they are circumventing not just our policies, but our decision-making abilities for taxpayer dollars.- Matthew Green, Ward 3 councillor

Putting that money into the new building is taking even more money from the city, he said. But this time, the city doesn't even get a vote.

"This $3.7 million allocation of a surplus has basically almost doubled the city's obligation without having it reported to, or on, or presented to council," he said.

"Clearly they are circumventing not just our policies, but our decision-making abilities for taxpayer dollars."

Police have long wanted to build a new investigative services building, which would be 53,500 square feet and include three forensics labs. The service has purchased land, said Chief Eric Girt, and spent $1.2 million on an architectural design. 

Paying to build it is a bigger problem. The city has agreed to $5 million through various sources, including dipping into police-related reserves.

• Hamilton Police want to keep a $3.7 million budget surplus

But that money is contingent on the service getting a matching contribution from the provincial and federal governments. And so far, there have been no bites.

Girt sounded optimistic last week. Both governments have infrastructure money to dole out, he said. If the building project fits the criteria, the service will apply.

The issue of a budget surplus is a touchy one anyway with Hamilton city councillors. They frequently lament that police services account for 20 per cent of the overall city budget, but the city has little control over it.

This also marks the second year in a row that there's been a surplus. Last year's surplus was $1.8 million. And this year's surplus is close to the $4.2 million budget increase the service requested for 2016.

Surplus came largely from the Pan Am Games

Girt said when police asked the city for a budget increase, it didn't have the building in mind. Rather, $2,369,902 of that surplus is related to the 2015 Pan Am Games, including how Hamilton Police handled staffing.

"We limited the annual leave during that three-week period," he said. Officers also didn't get paid time and a half during the games, whereas officers in some other jurisdictions did.

• Police 'hitting walls' looking for money for new forensics building

The rest of the surplus came from revenue to provide court security, and operational savings, said a police services board report last week.

Green wonders why these surpluses weren't identified earlier. But the cause of it matters less to him than where it's going.

Police budget surpluses are supposed to go to a tax stabilization reserve, he said. It's purpose is to offset future budget pressure.

We need to reform the way police budgets are done, Green says

It didn't have a say over whether the $3.6 million went to the investigative services building. The police services board made that decision last week. 

"It reflects the need for police services board budget reform," he said.

The total police budget surplus is $3,680,948.

Here's where the surplus will go:

• $3,589,248 to the new investigative services building.
• $23,700 to a Cardscan device for digital fingerprints.
• $68,000 to high-density-shelving for records storage.

Green has been an increasing critic of police operations. He's been vocal on the impact of street checks and their impact on minority communities. Then two officers questioned him while he was waiting for the bus in April, prompting him to file a formal complaint.