It's already the lowest increase of a Hamilton police budget in 18 years. But on Thursday, Hamilton trimmed one of its few embellishments — $44,000 for someone to do social media.

It's not a branding exercise. It really is about snapshots in time and providing information and soliciting information in time. - Coun. Terry Whitehead

Chief Eric Girt argued for a new civilian employee who would manage the service's social media presence on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other sites.

But Terry Whitehead, a Ward 8 councillor and board member known for his own Twitter debates, said it wasn't necessary. And chair Lloyd Ferguson said an officer on light duty could do it. The board voted with them 4-2.

"If anyone thinks you need expertise — a broad communications degree — to do tweets that are 140 characters that provide or solicit information, I would suggest that's why you have a communications officer," Whitehead said.

"It's not a branding exercise. It really is about snapshots in time and providing information and soliciting information in time."

Ferguson, an Ancaster councillor, said the service has 17 uniformed officers on modified duty. One of those officers can do social media.

We're not eliminating it. We're just filling it with a sworn officer who's on light duty. - Coun. Lloyd Ferguson

"We're not eliminating it," he said. "We're just filling it with a sworn officer who's on light duty."

Girt included the $44,561 position in what he called the lowest Hamilton Police Service budget in 18 years.

The budget is a 2.66 per cent increase over last year, or $4,097,412 more than last year. The 2017 budget is $157,347,503. The 2016 budget was $153,250,091.

As usual, the bulk of the increase was salaries and benefits. Girt proposed two new civilian positions — the social media administrator, and one for the social navigator program, which connects street-involved people with services.

Hamilton Police Service's communications team is already the smallest in Ontario for the service's size, Girt told the board. There are two people who deal with communications and media relations. The next closest comparison is Niagara, which has three people in that role.

Currently, those two communications people post Facebook and YouTube videos, tweet, send out media releases and other public outreach.

'We don't want people just tweeting out'

The issue inspired debate. Board member Madeleine Levy said social media should be a "coordinated effort" that ties in with the service's overall messaging.

"These are specialized positions," she said. "People go to university for them. People go to Mohawk College for them … We don't want people just tweeting out."

Whitehead has encountered his own share of social media attention on Twitter, where he's most commonly sparred with urbanists over issues such as complete streets, bike lanes and LRT.

Earlier this year, he deleted seven years of tweets and vowed to use the social media tool for positive news.

"I tried to use it as an engagement tool," he said then. "I was trying to be constructive but I wouldn't back down on positions."