Budget
Budget 2024
Municipal Allocation |
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) developed its 2024 Draft Budget in alignment with legal obligations and the strategic vision of the Ottawa Police Services Board. The budget reflects a commitment to enhancing community safety, supporting workforce resilience, fostering partnerships, and advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion. The budget includes a 2.5% police tax levy increase and an estimated 1.5% growth in the assessment base. The 2024 Draft Budget totals $415.5 million. This represents an increase of $13.4 million over the 2023 budget. The Operating budget covers day-to-day operations, while the Capital budget ensures timely asset replacement, including fleet, facilities, and information technology. Key elements of the 2024 budget include adding 25 full-time positions to support a three-year Staff Stabilization Strategy, plans for a new district policing model, investments in data programs, wellness initiatives, and commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Resources are allocated for the South Facility Project and strategic responses to public events. Efficiency measures aim to reduce operating costs, with a target of $2.6 million in 2024 in efficiencies and reinvestments derived from retirement, fleet fuel, IT contracts, and facility operations. Despite the increase in the OPS budget, it now represents 8.9% of the overall city budget, down from 9.5% in 2020. This demonstrates ongoing efforts to streamline operations while meeting core objectives. Over the past five years, the OPS has achieved $17 million in efficiencies. |
Expenditures |
The Draft Gross Operating Budget, aligning with the Board's directions, amounts to $415.5 million. After factoring in one-time revenue deductions and considering non-taxation revenue and recoveries, the Net Operating Budget for the Ottawa Police Service is $372.4 million—an increase of $13.4 million from the 2023 Budget. Expenditures by Program are detailed in each command summary, illustrating the percentage contribution of each command to the total expenditures, inclusive of recoveries and allocations but excluding revenue. For a comprehensive breakdown of Expenditure Types, refer to the 2024 Draft Operating Estimates by Expenditure Type found in the OPS budget book. |
Revenue |
The financial stability of OPS is sustained through a comprehensive range of revenue and recovery sources. In accordance with the Ottawa Police Service Board's 2007 User Fee policy, designed to align user fee revenue growth with associated costs, the OPS conducts an annual review and analysis of user fees. This persistent process ensures a balance between service provision and the financial sustainability of the OPS. Refer to Document A-6 for OPS 2024 Recommended Fee Schedule. The OPS regularly applies for grant opportunities from the Provincial and Federal governments and currently budgets to receive approximately $16 million annually from upper levels of government. |
Capital |
The Board is allocating a capital budget of $35.2 million for 2024, with funding primarily coming from pay-as-you-go (PAYG) at 77% and the remainder from an increase in debt at 23%. The capital budget focuses on three main areas: asset renewal, growth, and strategic initiatives. In the asset renewal category, projects address the replacement and upkeep of OPS assets, including fleet, facilities, and information technology. The growth category supports the new South Facility, as outlined in the South Facility Project Board Report from the September 25, 2023 regular board meeting. The strategic initiative category is evenly split between facility initiatives (including security enhancements) and the Staff Stabilization Strategy costs. Descriptions of all 2024 capital projects are provided in Document B-3 in the OPS budget book. For more information on the capital budget, Document B-1 offers a capital works in progress report summarizing the status of existing OPS capital projects. |
Forecast |
The draft budget is broken down by operating requirements by category. The budget changes are categorized in accordance with the City of Ottawa budget reporting as outlined below: • Maintain Services • Growth • New Services • Efficiencies & Reinvestments • User Fees and Revenues By selecting each year through slicers, you can navigate the forecast. The operating budget forecast for 2025-2027 is based on a Staff Stabilization strategy that expands civilian and sworn positions by 25 members each year, as well as hiring to replace members that are off on long-term leaves of absence. For more information on the forecast, visit Document A-1 OPS 2024 to 2027 Operating Forecast. |
Benchmarking |
The OPS budget undergoes a comprehensive benchmarking analysis, comparing its operating budgets with those of different police services across various regions in Ontario. This extensive benchmarking process allows for a detailed evaluation of the OPS's financial standing relative to its counterparts. In contrast to other police services in Ontario, the proposed 2024 tax increase by the OPS is presently the lowest, pending approval from the respective Boards and Councils for the planned tax adjustments. The OPS has been consistently at the low end of the spectrum when comparing tax increases received by peer police services in the province. This is consistent with the benchmarking figures. |
- 2024 Draft Budget
- 2024 Draft Budget questionnaire
- 2024 Draft Operating and Capital Budget - Presentation to the Ottawa Police Services Board
- 2024 Draft Operating and Capital Budget - Presentation to City Council
Questions? Email budget@ottawapolice.ca.
News release, November 2023: Draft 2024 Budget focused on New Staffing Plan, Operational Stability, Delivering on OPSB’s strategic priorities |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 8, 2023 8:42am (Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) tabled its 2024 Draft Operating and Capital Budget with the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) at a special meeting of the Board this morning. The development of the Draft 2024 Budget was heavily guided by public feedback gathered through months of consultation this summer. That feedback showed there continue to be concerns about crime across the city, a customized approach to policing is required in the urban, suburban and rural areas, new approaches to policing are needed to deal with social issues and key operational priorities like traffic safety, violence against women, auto theft and gun violence remain important to residents. The Budget is constructed to ensure that the OPS can deliver on the public safety needs of the community, now and into the future. It focuses on improving public trust while delivering on the strategic priorities committed to by the Ottawa Police Services Board in 2023. By focusing on these strategic priorities, the Service will advance toward the OPSB’s overarching goal of becoming a trusted partner in building an inclusive, equitable, and safe Ottawa. “This budget includes important investments in staffing, the development of a District policing model, more coordinated outreach strategies and follows the direction of the Board on a tax levy,” said Chief Eric Stubbs. “The Budget is directly aligned to the Board’s new Strategic Plan (scheduled for approval in November) enhancing community safety, advancing and supporting a resilient, thriving membership, building trust through strong partnerships, and improving equity, diversity, and inclusion, while strengthening our commitment to human rights.” Draft 2024 Budget highlights:
This 2024 Draft Budget provides an overview of the resources and investments needed for the OPS to continue to evolve and adapt to the needs of our community. We remain committed to demonstrating transparency and accountability, fostering partnerships within Ottawa’s diverse communities, and building public trust. “This year’s Budget cycle benefitted from the extensive consultations conducted to inform the Board’s Strategic Plan,” said Chair Dr. Gail Beck. “But the consultation period isn’t over yet. We look forward to continuing to hear from the public about the 2024 Draft Budget.” Budget Financial Highlights The Draft Gross Operating Budget aligns with the Board’s direction and totals $415.5 million. With the deduction of one-time revenue and in consideration of non-taxation revenue and recoveries, the Net Operating Budget for the Service is $372.4 million. This represents an increase of $13.4 million compared to the 2023 Budget. The assessment growth expected in 2024 is 1.5%, with the resulting net increase to the police taxation revenues of 2.5%. This all equates to an approximate $17 increase on the tax bill, which brings the total for policing to $697 for the average urban household. The OPS continues to deliver on efficiencies and is a shrinking portion of the overall city budget. In 2019, the OPS Budget was 9.5% of the city budget but is now 8.9. Federal and provincial grants are key to this budget, and we have applied to the province to secure funding for alternative service delivery, bail reform and organized auto theft. In 2024, the OPS will once again undertake an efficiency exercise. The Service has done this for many years and finds, on average, nearly $2M in efficiencies annually. In 2024, the OPS has set an efficiency target of $2.6M. The efficiency target will help to optimize service delivery, and create opportunities for reinvestment for other organizational priorities, including our Staff Stabilization Strategy. We want to hear from you… Public delegations and questions from Ottawa City Councillors are welcome at the November 17, 2023, Finance and Audit Committee meeting starting at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87340374140 [us02web.zoom.us] Comments are also welcome at the beginning of the regular meeting of the OPSB on November 27, 2023, starting at 4 p.m. (via Zoom - link to be announced by OPSB). The OPS 2024 Budget is scheduled for approval by the OPSB on November 27, 2023. It will later be reviewed and scheduled for approval by Ottawa City Council on December 6, 2023. A complete copy of the OPS’ 2024 Draft Operating and Capital Budget can be reviewed by visiting https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/who-we-are/budget.aspx You can also request a copy of the report by emailing Budget@otttawpolice.ca. - 30 - CONTACT: Media Relations Section Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366 |
Budget 2023 | ||||||||||
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Budget 2022 | ||||||||||
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) issued its 2022 Budget Consultation Report as part of the October 25th meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB). As directed by the Board, the report details the results of a comprehensive series of surveys, consultations, reviews and studies completed to support the development of the 2022 Draft Budget.
The following projects were possible in 2021 thanks to grants provided by the Province of Ontario through the Audit and Accountability Fund.
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