The Saint John police department is expecting to be on budget as of the end of the year according to a report presented at police commission.
While the net operating expenses for the Saint John police were under budget by about $669,000 as of the end of August, that number doesn’t factor in salaries for this year — which are being paid out using money from 2015.
“When we set the 2016 budget we had factored in a wage increase, and it’s just not reflected yet that’s all because we’re still using 2015 dollars to pay our members,” says Saint John police chief John Bates.
Of the approximately $669,000 apparent surplus we’re currently seeing, about $555,000 is attributed to salaries and wages.
The 2016 wage settlement for the unionized officers is described as the most major unknown expense with contract negotiations ongoing.
“We don’t know what the overall impact is going to be at the end of negotiations and depending what the settlement is with regard to wages,” says Chief Bates.
“But I’m sure that what looks like a large surplus now is in fact not going to be.”
