in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 8, 20 18 | 16 CAMBRIDGE 90 Main Street cornerstonefurniture.ca 519.740.9991 /CornerstoneHome /cornerstonehomeinteriors We stock more sofas than any store in Ontario. Be amazed! CORNERSTONE'S BLACK FRIDAY SALE From November 7th to December 7th enjoy store-wide deals on all in-stock cabinets, sofas, dining tables, chairs and our Woven collection. The Halton Regional Police Services Board voted Thursday, Oct. 25, to approve a 2019 budget of $155.4 million for the police ser- vice. The budget, which must still be approved by Regional Coun- cil, is $5.3 million larger than the 2018 police operating budget and within the Halton Region's guide- line of an increase restricted to 3.5 per cent. Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner noted the priorities of this budget are to: .Maximize deployment of new officers to front-line duties .Upgrade/replace front-line technology tools .Research/implement effi- cient digital storage .Deploy the separate LTE wireless network for first re- sponders .Finish normalizing opera- tions at the new police headquar- ters .Plan for the consolidation of Milton/Halton Hills facilities in a new station To achieve these goals the budget calls for the hiring of 14 new police officers including 12 front-line patrol officers and twofront-line patrol officers and twof supervisors for the Forensic Identification Unit. "We are feeling some pres- sures because of growth at the front line," said Tanner.front line," said Tanner.f Some of the other budget driv- ers include $1.2 million for the LTE Project, which will include the acquisition/configuration and implementation of LEX/Mo- torola hand-held communica- tions devices plus three addition- al LTE transmitter sites. The LTE Project will allow Halton police to become the first police service in Canada to adopt an independent wireless net- work dedicated to public safety. Another $1.3 million will be spent for vehicle replacements while $153,000 will pay for net- work server replacements, $362,000 will cover technology re- placements (including $150,000 for a call manager upgrade forfor a call manager upgrade forf the 911 call centre) and $450,000 will fund the acquisition/con- struction of a new tactical re- sponse vehicle. Oakville Mayor and Halton Police Board Chair Rob Burton said the best news in the budget relates to the $20.5 million being allocated for the consolidation of the Milton and Halton Hills po- lice stations into a single facility in Milton. "Everyone I know up there is anxious about us getting that done," said Burton. "It should be well-received." The new consolidated station, HALTON POLICE BOARD PASSES $155.4 MILLION POLICE BUDGET DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS BUDGET INCLUDES $20.5 MILLION FOR CONSOLIDATED MILTON/HALTON HILLS STATION Metroland graphic $ 140.1 M $ 20.5 M $ 1.2 M $ 1.3 M $ 153,000 $ 362,000 $ 450,000 The 2019 Halton Regional Police Services budget is $155.4 million, which represents a $5.3-million increase over last year's operating budget. The budget includes: for vehicle replacement for network server replacements for technology replacements for the acquisition and construction of a new tactical response vehicle for the LTE project for compensation for the consolidation of the north Halton police stations into a single facility in Milton HALTON POLICE B U D G E T Budget is subject to approval by Halton Regional Council. See NEW, page 18 "We are feeling some pressures because of growth at the front line." - Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner