Sarnia's chief of police says the service is now in a difficult position with an aging downtown headquarters and no funds from the city this upcoming year to go toward a new facility.
City council amended the proposed 2026 budget in November to allocate $5 million through borrowing to the police budget to support the $91 million proposed build within the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park.
However, Mayor Mike Bradley used strong mayor powers to veto the amendment. The decision to override his veto failed to gain the necessary six-vote majority during Monday's council meeting.
Councillors Anne Marie Gillis, Adam Kilner, Chrissy McRoberts, George Vandenberg, and Brian White voted in favour of the override; while Mayor Mike Bradley and councillors Dave Boushy, Terry Burrell, and Bill Dennis supported the veto.
"It's was certainly disappointing to see the will of the majority of council being vetoed," said Police Chief Derek Davis in an emailed statement to Sarnia News Today. "Our building reality is that there are serious and significant issues left unaddressed for many years. We have been very public and transparent on what they are. Further delay is not a realistic scenario, especially when safety is impacted (officer and public)."
Sarnia Police Service (SPS) Board Chair Paul Wiersma had previously offered a "compromise" to city council to fund the project in phases.
Now, with no funding from the city for the capital project in 2026, Davis said they're left "in a difficult circumstance."
"Significant repairs/patch renos will now need to be realized," Davis said. "But without any funding provisioned for this inevitable and obvious outcome, we will certainly have to re-examine our budget and now face risks of exceeding it."
As part of the 2026 proposed budget, city council approved an operating budget of $38.73 million for the police service, representing an increase of 6.5 per cent or $2.36 million.
The SPS board previously approved a 2027 budget as well, with an increase of 5.28 per cent for a total budget of $40.78 million.
The budgetary matter is expected to be discussed during the next police board meeting in January, 2026.
