Police budget to be tabled early due to scheduling conflicts

The Ottawa Police Service's 2017 draft budget will betabledtwo days earlier than the rest of the city budget after several police board members signalled they wouldn't be abletoattend the at the usual time.

Traditionally the police force is the first city department to table its documents on budget day.

But for the first time the board's chaircan remember, the special 8:30 a.m.meeting will not immediately precede the tabling ofdraft budgets for city operations, library, public healthand transit.

• Policing Ottawa 2017 to cost $1.5M, force estimates

Coun Eli El-Chantirysaid the minimum four boardmembers needed to make quorum on Wed., Nov. 9, are unavailable, so instead the meetingwill take place on Nov. 7 at 4 p.m.

Board members Jim Durrell, Carl Nicholson, Suzanne Valiquet and Coun. Jan Harder have all said they have other commitments.

Valiquet, a provincial appointee to the board,will be out of town.

Harder attending store opening

Harder, meanwhile, plans to attend the grand opening of a new Costco store in her Barrhaven ward, and said she wouldn't have enough time to make it downtown for an 8:30 police board meeting.

She said the Costco opening is a big deal in Barrhaven, and something her residents have been anticipating for months, so it's not something she would miss.

The opening takes place at 8 a.m., and will also be attended by Mayor Jim Watson.

Harder didn't see the rescheduling as a break from tradition, and pointed out other boards, such as the library and health boards, routinelytable their budgets early.

Monday's meeting will likely be Harder's last as a police board memberbecause she willsoon be replaced by Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley. Harder, who chairs the city's planning committee, said she's stepping down to lighten her workload.

The police services budget must be tabled before thatmeeting of council in order to be considered as part of the city's overall draft budget.