Halifax’s police board is giving the green light to a bigger budget with more constables.

The proposed budget comes in at $98 million which is about $5 million higher than last year.

The money will be used to help the force hire 10 more officers and add others to community safety roles in a growing city.

Meantime, Halifax RCMP asked for seven new positions, but the board voted that they should get three instead.

Now, the police budget will go to council for final approval.

However, it’s not clear if councillors will approve the increase as they wrestle with a $68 million shortfall and a desire to keep property taxes low.