Windsor Police Services Board proposing 4.16 per cent increase for 2026 budget

Windsor Police Services headquarters seen in Windsor Ont. on Aug. 12, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

The Windsor Police Services Board has approved the 2026 requested Operating Budget for the service.

The board approved the 2026 operating and capital budget at $122.8 million, a 4.16 per cent increase over the 2025 approved operating budget.

As the City of Windsor looks to achieve a 0 per cent tax levy while maintaining funding for the city’s asset management plan, administration requested that the WPS present a 2026 operating budget for an amount no greater than the approved 2025 and to consider a reduction to the tax levy requirement by five to 10 per cent.

Approximately 80 per cent of the proposed budget is for contractual obligations. For 2026, the requested increase for salary and wage adjustments is $2.2 million.

The service has also been facing an increase in overtime hours and has requested an increase of $1 million as part of the 2026 budget, a 77 per cent increase from what was approved in 2025, and an increase in IT costs of $96,000 for things such as subscription-based licensing fees.

Board Chair and Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac says they don’t have a lot of wiggle room, especially for wages and salaries.

“In terms of additional operating costs, and when you’re coming to your capital costs, or you’re replacing vehicles, you’re looking at legislation that has included additional, new technology for arms and safety wear for everything,” said Gignac.

She said they’ve gone through items line-by-line.

“Looking for opportunities to maximize the services that we have at the city, and some of the operational expenses, and we talked about IT and the ability to leverage some of the licenses... it could achieve some savings. So, we’re going to continue to do that.”

Gignac said the city is looking to achieve a 0 per cent increase, which will be a challenge due to services that need to be provided.

“When you come to issues of emergency response, and so I’m look at the arbitrated settlements that we have within the City of Windsor, so you’ve got police, you’ve got fire, you’ve got nursing, you’ve got land ambulance... they’re contractual agreements that are settled some place else, and so that’s the reality that we’re dealing with.”

The proposed budget will now go to Windsor city council for final approval during their budget deliberations.

The Windsor Police Service was allotted $111 million for the 2025 budget, which was 22 per cent of the municipal tax levy for the year.