Mayor wants admin spending, expense report

By COLLIN GALLANT on April 10, 2024.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

A request by Mayor Linnsie Clark for detailed expenses and spending by senior administrators, all severance agreements and staff turnover over four years went overtime at Monday night’s city council meeting.

The issue arises after months of conflict at city hall between the mayor and city manager Ann Michell, which culminated and was detailed in a recent code of conduct complaint against Clark.

The usual circumstance this week moves the information request from Clark to the April 22 council agenda when councillors declined to extend Monday’s meeting past 11 p.m.

Ten minutes prior to the standard end time, and after a lengthy agenda, Clark told councillors she felt that legal precedents backed her position.

Other council members wouldn’t second a motion to extend debate stating the were just now receiving Clark’s rationale for the request and the weighty issue shouldn’t be debated in haste.

“My intention wasn’t to ask for council’s permission to receive the information … I believe I’m entitled to the information,” Clark told council during the meeting. “That’s consistent with the principles of good government.”

Clark argued that the information is available through a freedom of information request by the general public.

“It would be relatively strange that a mayor was entitled to less information than a member of the public, in any event I’m not sure why it would be contentious,” she said. “I’m not assuming that anything would be untoward (in the reports).”

Coun. Ramona Robins told Clark that since this was the first explanation of her reasoning behind a written request for the info on Feb. 20, she would appreciate more time and a written explanation of her position.

“I want more time to consider it,” Robins said following the meeting. “When I did a notice of motion, I gave all my colleagues a copy of what I was considering … It would be helpful in advance. I’ll read it and see.”

Coun. Shila Sharps was the only other councillor to discuss it during debate, which ended at 11 p.m. when a motion to continue from Clark was not seconded.

“I literally can’t have a good conversation any longer,” said Sharps at the three-hour-29-minute mark. “I’m losing the will to live.”

Along with typical business, the lengthy agenda included three public hearings on rezoning applications and a presentation on “Strong Towns” by planning officials.

A lengthy conversation about updates to the Code of Conduct bylaw resulted in all members supporting study on how an integrity commissioner could operate.

A 9:30 p.m., Clark moved that her issue be handled after several matters, including grant awards, a time-sensitive development incentive bylaw and items that some staff members were waiting to present.

The issue moves on to the April 22 meeting agenda.

Mitchell told council that she would also prepare a response.

“Some things clearly fall under the purview of the city manager,” she said. “I look forward to a full conversation.”

Clark told the News on Tuesday that she feels the matter is simply one of elected officials providing oversight of administrative operations, and she’s “hopeful” other councillors will agree.

“Anytime there’s the potential for information about an employee to be revealed you do have to be very careful, but this is also financial information about spending taxpayer dollars,” said Clark.

“That’s the sort of thing that should be open to public scrutiny.”

It called for itemized expense reports, the names of any employee who received a living allowance and related information over the last four years, and an overview of severance agreement costs and staff turnover analysis from 2020 through 2023.

Another portion calls for an itemized list of all purchasing done by senior administrators over the past year, including the city manager.

One point requests a “detailed accounting” of all funds reallocated by the city manager through powers in the administrative bylaw. An overview of reallocations was presented to council’s audit committee last week and will also go to council April 22.

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