KITCHENER -- The Region of Waterloo took a second look at its proposed budget for 2020 Wednesday night, hoping to trim back Waterloo Regional Police’s request for more money.

In a previous meeting council flagged the police budget as a problem area. The force is asking for a 7 per cent increase over last year’s budget, working out to roughly $12 million.

Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin said the number of officers per resident in the region has been on the decline year after year, and they are now below the national average.

Larkin also alluded to a busy year with 17 traffic fatalities and 19 shooting incidents, which included four homicides.

“I always worry that as our population grows and if our frontline policing does not grow, the workplace demand that comes along with that. Our officers have the fourth largest workload of a service our size,” said Larkin.

He says a big part of their budget is geared towards the wellness of officers and streamlining of their operations.

“We have to invest in wellness strategies and training initiatives, but equally we still need to provide a service to the front line and so we have been restructuring and reorganizing a new shift structure and new platoon model. All of these things are about modernizing policing," said Larkin.

Additionally police say they have to replace a dated radio system, pay out their sick bank, and try to keep up with the growing amount of technology involved in crime.

Regional council appeared sympathetic to their struggles, but are still hoping more savings can be found.

“I’m asking the chief and staff go back and take a look at it with police services board and be creative about how they fund it,” said Sean Strickland, Region of Waterloo Budget Chair.

Police have brought their budget down slightly from their original number, but if the current budget is passed as is, it would be one of the highest in recent memory.

“I’d certainly like to bring it in below four percent and even if we bring it in below four percent that will be one of the biggest tax increases we’ve had in sometime,” said Strickland.

As of right now, the entire regional budget would hit taxpayers with an extra $80 on the regional portion of their tax bill.

Council will have some time to mull the issues over, as the final budget meeting will happen on January 22.