A much-needed position at the Kamloops RCMP detachment is going to have to wait another year to be filled.

The city has put off hiring a crime analyst until 2021.

Finance director Kathy Humphrey says that’s one of two administrative jobs the city was hoping to fill this year at the detachment.

“The (other) one is actually the finance clerk, which would be there doing boots-on-the-ground-type help for (the detachment) would be in place,” Humphrey says.

“And the crime analyst, we will keep searching for a crime analyst. And if we happen to find one in November or December we can come back or find one month’s worth of funding, assuming it would sort of take place in 2021… It’s a really difficult position to fill, and likely will take four-to-five months to fill anyways.”

A staff report shows that waiting until next year to hire a crime analyst will save taxpayers more than $42,000 this year, taking into account that it would’ve taken some time to fill that position.

Supt. Syd Lecky previously said the detachment was working through a logjam of administrative work, which in large part stem from the Jordan decision in 2016, and a crime analyst would’ve aided in that work.

As part of budget cuts this year, the city is also shelving renovations to the Kamloops RCMP detachment on Battle Street. That project would’ve cost up to $750,000, paid for out of reserve funds, but instead is being pushed to 2021.

Council has moved to defer more than $7.2 million dollars in spending for this year, to make up revenue shortfalls that have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.