The Township of Esquimalt has been making cuts as they work through the 2025 draft budget.
At a council meeting on Monday, March 3, council members considered cuts to the draft budget, which initially forecast a 14 per cent tax increase for residents, or about an extra $467 for the average residential-zoned property in Esquimalt.
The initial increase was calculated at 14.09 per cent, but due to VicPD costs and local grant account reductions, the updated initial tax revenue increase was at 14.44 per cent.
In the first motion put forward, which passed unanimously, Coun. Ken Armour asked to halt the hiring of new staff members over the next fiscal year.
He said ideally, he would like to see a tax increase under 10 per cent this year as the country continues to have high inflation rates, and braces for the effects of tariffs.
"We all have to tighten our belts a little, and it's just not tenable to have a tax increase like that," said Armour.
Coun. Tim Morrison stressed that there will not be a complete hiring freeze, but as existing and current positions become vacant, it creates opportunities to look at job description items and find ways to redefine existing roles.
In the second motion, which also passed unanimously, councillors opted to not approve funding for seven new VicPD positions, and funding for the Late Night, Great Night weekend patrols, with Armour saying it's "highly debatable" how much the positions and the late-night patrols will actually benefit Esquimalt.
Mayor Barbara Desjardins said it's unfortunate that the conversation around policing needs, and the regionalization of VicPD has always been a challenge when it comes to the annual budget.
"It is a challenge being a very different community than the City of Victoria, and I don't take anything away from their needs, we've always acknowledged that, and we've always acknowledged that VicPD does a great job here. The challenge is how do we get policing to reflect our needs," she said.
They also went through the list of supplemental requests where council voted to confirm funding for some programs, like $10,000 for the South Island Prosperity Partnership, and to cut or defer funding from others, like furniture or new hires.
The budget is likely to change as discussions continue until a final decision is made in May.
