Estevan city council has approved a request from the Estevan Police Service to use $203,200 from its 2024 budget surplus to fund vehicle replacements and station maintenance, despite concerns from some councillors about the city’s budgeting approach.
At a recent council meeting, Police Chief Jamie Blunden explained the service ended 2024 with a $256,000 surplus and had hoped to carry those funds into 2025 for planned purchases. Two vehicles were originally earmarked for replacement, and maintenance work at the police station was also expected.
“We made the conscious decision not to spend that money until we had the final numbers,” said Blunden. “Past practice had allowed for those funds to be placed in a reserve, but this year that didn’t happen.”
Instead, the surplus was returned to the city’s general fund due to Estevan’s current budgeting policy, which does not allow departments to retain year-end surpluses without council approval. City Manager Jeff Ward confirmed this approach, noting that overages and underages are typically balanced across the city’s overall budget.
Coun. Brian Johnson raised concerns about this process, suggesting it could create imbalances across departments. “I’m questioning this whole way of budgeting,” he said. “I’ve never seen budgeting like this ever in my life and I’m going to have a hard time supporting it.”
Blunden acknowledged the misunderstanding and said the department had expected to access a reserve account like in previous years. In 2023, the service had carried over $27,000 into 2024, which contributed to the assumption.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser, who also sits on the Estevan Board of Police Commissioners, noted that the police currently lack a formal vehicle replacement plan. She supported the motion and recommended the city adopt a more consistent capital planning model.
When asked about the vehicles in question, Blunden said one of the Criminal Investigations Unit’s vehicles had been written off. The department is now seeking a newer used SUV with low mileage, aiming to keep costs around $45,000. He added that many departments are shifting to SUVs due to the equipment load and weather conditions.
Council ultimately approved the funding request in a narrow 4–3 vote, allowing the police to proceed with their planned purchases.