A formal request to Alberta Municipal Affairs for a non-financial audit of city operations is now in the hands of the ministry, city officials tell the News.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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A formal request that the province audit city council procedures is now in the hands of Alberta Municipal Affairs, Mayor Linnsie Clark tells the News, though there is still no clear statement about what the province might investigate.
On Sept. 3, city councillors endorsed a motion by Coun. Andy McGrogan that processes be examined by the ministry of Municipal Affairs.
That passed by a 6-3 margin, with Coun. Allison Van Dyke stating it would be counterproductive while Mayor Linnsie Clark and Coun. Ramona Robins stated a defined scope and estimate on resources was needed.
Those questions were left open ended at the time, and more than two weeks later – and with municipal affairs officials informing the media they are still awaiting a formal request – council members in favour of an audit began questioning the status of the request.
Clark told the News she signed and forwarded the request on Wednesday without further details.
“My position was that we needed a lot more information before we made a decision to do it – council decided to go ahead with it – so I think there are still some unanswered questions about what the next steps are,” she said.
“The ministry still has (the ability to) decide to go ahead with it.”
The request comes after a year of tension, during which Clark challenged the actions of city manager Ann Mitchell during a corporate reorganization, a finding by council that Clark broke council’s code of conduct in her questioning and a court review that largely removed heavy sanctions placed on her last March.
McGrogan said this week the request is not politically motivated, but the city and council’s reputation has suffered and the public should know any problems will be addressed.
“It’s not an investigation and like I’ve said, it’s not about the mayor and city manager – whether they get along. It could be about how the mayor and city manager and council, how they all interact.”
“Is administration reporting to council in a responsible manner? Is council staying in its lane? I want them to come in and have a look.
“We could have been doing something wrong for a long period of time. Let’s get it right, if for nothing else but to restore public confidence.”
The non-financial audit would see ministry officials or contractors interview staff or councillors, request records or other materials, and a final report would provide analysis and could suggest or require corrective action.
Once investigators begin an audit, they have the authority to expand it or limit the scope based on information they receive.
“A lot of good could come from it,” Clark told the News. “It’s a pretty big deal, and hopefully it could help us become a better organization.”
