It’s relatively straight-forward but couldn’t have been made more complicated.

There’s really just one issue behind ballooning London police costs — cops’ annual raises — and no amount of council caterwauling or political foot-­stomping between now and the Feb. 27 approval of the 2014 city budget can fix it.

But that didn’t stop politicians Friday from making a mess of the police force’s proposed budget for this year, voting a whopping eight times on various amounts that all failed.

“I think there’s conflict here amongst the councillors,” Police Chief Brad Duncan said post-debate in what may become the understatement of the year.

The numbers are clear: Police are seeking $3.8 million more from taxpayers, an increase of 4.4% over 2013. That would bring the police tab to $92.9 million (with no new hires).

After a two-hour-plus debate and all those failed votes — which ranged from giving police no new money to everything they sought — politicians opted to make the decision another day, when Dale Henderson, absent Friday, could cast a tie-breaking vote.

But even if council does vote to give police less than the $3.8 million they want, Duncan indicated he may appeal to a provincial body that could force council to fund the whole request and that battle could cost taxpayers a six-figure legal sum.

(Appeals to that same body, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, make layoffs a painful option, too.)

Realistically, Friday’s pressure was created four years ago when London police signed a four-year deal that gave its unionized officers and civilians 2.8% raises yearly (11.2% in total).

So how to stop the big annual budget jumps that have vexed politicians for years?

The answer lies in negotiating more modest contracts with officers and that process will begin this year when the board overseeing police starts negotiating a new pact with the London Police Association union.

The challenge, as it’s always been, is the arbitration system. If one police force hands out a hefty contract to its officers, that becomes the basis for all other forces that go to arbitration.

Only if all the boards overseeing forces stand firm and one signs a modest pact — which could then become the standard for all others — will the arbitration system work more favourably for taxpayers.

London’s police board, led by Paul Paolatto, has helmed an effort to co-ordinate contract bargaining in cities provincewide and have the boards stand firm.

But getting that kind of co-operation has been surprisingly difficult, with only 38 of the 53 boards across Ontario in lock-step so far.

Police brass here could do a few things to find some savings, such as bringing in an outside auditor or reducing the force’s size by not replacing departing cops. But that wouldn’t stop the huge annual hikes that are driven by labour costs.

There’s nothing stopping the London Police Association from taking less. Its president, Rick Robson, is open to all options entering negotiations but bristles at citizen disdain for public ­sector union gains.

“The conversation isn’t let’s elevate (the wages of all working people),” he said. “The conversation is, how come they have what we don’t? Let’s bring them down.”

The growing public frustration is likely fuelling the political resistance. And it’s unnerved one city councillor.

“We’re losing the support of the public for the police department,” Coun. Joe Swan said. “We’re losing the support of the very community we need.”

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BUDGET TIMELINE

Jan. 31: Operating budget debates

Feb. 6: Capital budget debates

Feb. 10: Public-input meeting

Feb. 27: Final budget approval

For background on the budget deliberations, click here.