City council's summer break will be followed this year by a number of key decisions.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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City council enters its traditional summer hiatus in early August, but several key headline issues are coming to the fore when it returns next month.
Last week, council shelved a final decision on new spending proposed for the 2025-26 budget, and since the spring has awaited analysis of financial disclosure sought by Mayor Linnsie Clark.
Late August also marks the one-year anniversary of an exchange between Clark and city manager Ann Mitchell that led to sanctions of the mayor in the spring.
A court hearing to review the decision will be heard Aug. 13. Though a decision will likely come later, that’s just one week before council resumes regular sittings.
Councillors have declined comment on the issue now before the courts, but originally suggested an apology could lead to an early resolution.
Clark called on council shortly after to reconsider the penalties and told a press conference on city hall steps in March that all sides should work to settle the dispute outside court.
“It hasn’t yet been resolved, so at this point the judicial review is moving forward,” Clark told the News on Friday. “Certainly it could be months (for a ruling).”
Council has continued to sit and handle business during the controversy.
Since March, Clark hasn’t chaired council meetings, but has been generally more able to engage in debate. Around March, Clark also began requesting expense and compensation data, eventually presenting it in a notice of motion.
Council tabled the issue twice in the spring requesting more information and a rationale from Clark, stating the work would prove costly and would require full council approval.
She called for overview of human resource materials about contract expenses and severance agreements over several years, as well as itemized expenses of the city manager and division heads.
As well, Clark could be preparing a similar tactic to call for a request for a review of Freedom of Information processes.
The issue was vaguely described in a closed session agenda last month then removed from the open agenda, though Clark says it may return.
“That could be coming forward as well,” Clark told the News. “I am looking forward to seeing the briefing note on the information request.
“Going into the next little while, we’ll be hearing about the budget and hearing about the energy transition.”
So-called FOIP requests have been the subject of public debate since the utility price controversy in mid-2023, when critics began plying the city with requests about energy division operations and profit.
The issue flared again when a report into the code of conduct complaint was heavily redacted when it was released by city administrators.
A number of other major issues are on the general schedule this fall.
A third-party review of the city’s power business is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter (after Sept. 30), administrators told a council committee this month.
Beyond finalizing the new capital and operating items at regular council meetings this fall, council is scheduled to pick up general budget discussions at committee of the whole meetings in late October and early November.
