Protesters watch in council chambers at city hall on Sept. 5 as utility relief options were debated by councillors. This week, members voted to study potential rules and requirements for engaging with the public after some said council and city staff are being subjected to abuse.--News File Photo
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City Hall will examine if it needs a formal complaint process for public to access with grievances against staff or elected officials, as well as potential policy to deal with “vexatious” or abusive complaints.
Council unanimously request and overview of how other cities and levels of government handle complaints on an emergent agenda item Monday.
That comes after six months of disagreement between councillors and some residents that motion sponsor Coun. Shila Sharps said began with the stray-cat trap, neuter and release program approval and continued with utility price debate and into the fall.
“I’ve seen employees being harassed, the emails and social media … and it’s sad,” Sharps told reporters. “What does it help? I’ve seen our communications staff get slaughtered, managing directors, the city manager – and it’s unacceptable.”
Both issues arose this week as a notice of motion by Sharps, who says since the spring she and others are spending an inordinate amount of time dealing with complaints that are “vexatious” in some cases.
“You can literally say whatever you want on social media, but if you want to put complaints in, it’s time to be accountable,” said Sharps.
The review will study how other cities’ elected and administrative officials interact wit the public, options for filing and investigating complaints, either internally or through a third party.
It could also lay out grounds at which an abusive resident or customer could be limited in their discussions with staff or through a special protocol.
Two women in the city, who are leading a petition to have the city audited over its handling of utility prices, say blame lays with the city for fomenting frustrations.
Nicole Frey says she is actively pursuing a complaint against Sharps for what she called contradictory statements made during the utility debate. (Sharps says there’s a difference between “making a mistake and lying.”)
A complaint policy could be “a step in the right direction,” said Frey, but she squarely blamed city staff and council for what she claims is a lack of action feeding frustrations.
“The city also needs to be looking at preventing this frustration from occurring to begin with, and definitely in de-escalating it,” she said. “The city has put people into desperate situations, and now seems to be prioritizing policy to punish them for lashing out.”
Her group is asking for community support to request an Alberta Municipal Affairs audit of city finances. The 36-page letter sent to Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver details a series of email interactions with elected and senior administrative officials.
City manager Ann Mitchell said in a statement that the letter includes “allegations of corruption without any supporting evidence, despite our best efforts to provide information to those with concerns.”
It continues that communications staff dealing with single issues with citizens requires time and staff resources, which she says can be better spent on broader communications.
Sou Boss, another leading voice in the utility debate, told the News the city hasn’t done enough to clear the air after controversies over power prices this summer.
The “Medicine Hat Utility Ratepayers Association” has demanded information on production costs at the city power plant, but senior officials say releasing that could harm the city when it negotiates contracts with large customers. Other documents requested by the group are subject to freedom of information requests, an often costly process overseen by the city clerk’s office.
Boss says a more formal process might be welcomed, but it can’t be seen as the city investigating itself.
“It’s a good thing if there are legitimate complaints,” she told the News. “We’re vocal, but not in a vexatious way … and we need to get this audit done for everyone in the city’s sake.”
The City of Calgary has a four-step public complaints process dealt with by an “Integrity Commissioner.”
That office assesses complaints, and can move to further investigations and recommend council consider sanctions.
The process exists within that city’s “council code of ethics,” which is adopted in specific cases by each municipality, but is a requirement of the Municipal Government Act.
That act is also in the process of being updated, with the government accepting survey feedback from the public until early December.
Coun. Andy McGrogan says as a former police chief he dealt with a highly formalized complaint and disciplinary process. A graduated system for complaints may work well, he said, adding the nature of complaints means not every one requires a full-scale investigation.
