The Belleville Police Services Board put forward its 2026 budget during Thursday’s meeting of the board.
The new budget calls for $33,524,718 in funding for the year, which is $4,531,218 or a 15% increase over the 2025 budget.
The increase in the budget is due primarily to hiring more staff. Plans are in place to hire six officers to fill vacant positions or prepare for upcoming retirements, along with adding an additional two officers to the department.
There are also plans to hire five additional support staff, including special constables, an administrative assistant, a digital evidence redaction specialist, and a court clerk.
Besides staff, increases in costs were also found in vehicle maintenance and contracted services.
Another budget pressure the board discussed was the cost to provide security and prisoner transport for the Belleville Courthouse.
While the police service receives some funding from the province to provide those services, the funding available doesn’t cover the complete cost, leaving the police service to pick up the remainder of the bill.
The board voted to approve the budget as presented.
With the board’s approval of the budget, the next step is for it to go before Belleville council as part of their budget talks.
