There was an article published today in the CBC by Kate Patridge and you can view it here regarding the Mayor spending over his allowable expense limit. Yesterday, I was sent the full extent of the FOI package and asked if I wanted to provide comment on its contents. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment on another council member’s spending until the item comes before council for consideration (read to the bottom to find out when); however, there are some things I want to comment on to provide additional clarity/perspective.
Upon reading this article, one might ask who or what governs council spending – and that is a good question. The what is the council remuneration bylaw which sets out guidelines for council expenses and is very clear on what they can be used for. You can find the excerpt below or read the full bylaw here which was updated and came into effect on January 1, 2023.
That brings us to the who – who is responsible and accountable for our expenses? The answer is simple. We are. It’s not our staff. It’s surely not an executive assistant. It’s definitely not the city’s communications department. While they can support us in providing an update as to where we’re at if asked, the responsibility lies with individual council members – at least in my opinion which has been informed by five years of governance experience and orientation sessions.
All of council receives extensive orientation and training at the beginning of the term and we also receive additional information sessions throughout the year on things like the council remuneration bylaw, the council procedures bylaw, the community charter, the local government act, conflict of interest, and more. And there’s even conferences like the Local Government Leadership Academy (LGLA), NCLGA, and UBCM which add additional educational opportunities to learn about our role and ensure we are performing business in the interest of the public.
Accountability doesn’t stop there. Every year, the Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) report comes before council which lists all of the council expenses, and we as a council get to debate and make recommendations or referrals back to staff based on those findings. So while this article is letting you know of this now, there’s also a mechanism in place for this to be reported to the public once all the year end financials are finalized.
You might also be wondering why council has an expense limit at all and this is a very normal practice for all municipalities – and that expense limit is very prescribed and is meant for attending conferences which is where a lot of advocacy and minister meetings takes place. Some might not find value in this, but I personally find it an incredible opportunity to learn about key issues, to endorse or oppose resolutions, advocate on behalf of my community, and meet and learn from other leaders experiencing similar issues in their communities. This year in particular was also an opportunity for me to run for and get elected as Director at Large for UBCM providing even more opportunity for advocacy.
There are sure to be many questions regarding this article, and council will have the opportunity to raise those questions when the SOFI report comes forward to report on council spending for the 2023 fiscal year in 2024.
coriramsay 