News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

By LeRae Haynes

Williams Lake City Councillor Surinderpal Rathor was the sole dissenting voice at this week’s City Council meeting during a vote to decide whether to spend approximately $7,000 to send Mayor Cook and City CAO Brian Carruthers to the 2012 Federation of Canadian Municipalities in June.

When the vote took place in Council he stated that he wanted to go on record as disagreeing with the decision. He explained yesterday that it isn’t the annual FCM event he objects to: it’s the fact that the expenditure was not discussed by the Budget Committee.

He said that during the 2011 election the biggest issue he heard about from the community was controlling spending. “I never promised ‘no tax increase’ during the election process—my main issue was ‘controlled spending,’ and that was my whole inaugural speech,” he said.

He said that ‘controlled spending’ should include discussions about expenditures by the Budget Committee, especially when the expenditure being discussed is an event taking place several months after the budget will be announced.

“Since 2009 we have never approved FCM travel without the budget being completed. What’s different this year? Why the haste? The FCM isn’t until June, the early-bird FCM booking discount is in March and the budget will be approved by April.”

When asked if it is common practice to approve this kind of expenditure so far in advance and why it is not a topic for the Budget Committee, Mayor Cook had this to say:

“Council has budgeted for the FCM every year for the past four years, as well as the other two yearly conventions: UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) and NCLGA (North Central Local Government Association). “The only difference is that every Councillor is encouraged to attend the last two,” she said. “FCM is more expensive and that that’s why the numbers for attendance are limited.

“It’s also important to note that we also pay yearly membership dues to each of these three organizations,” she continued.

“Council travel budget has been reduced significantly—close to 30%---over the last three years. We do look at any way we can save money like early registration and booking hotels.”

Councillor Rathor said that if the FCM expenditure was referred to the budget he would be in favour of it. “These ‘little’ things add up in a hurry,” he said. “Why do we bother with the budget meetings if these things are already approved?”

He also said that the motion to send Mayor Cook and Brian Carruthers to the FCM was moved and seconded in Council. When it was opened for discussion, he stated that he wanted it referred to the Budget Committee. “Mayor Cook ruled me out, saying that it would change the intent of the motion,” he said. “That’s not true. I was not speaking against the motion—just referring it to the budget.”

Councillor Rathor voted in agreement with his fellow Councillors’ decision to spend $5,000 to send Mayor Cook, Councillors Bourdon, Hughes, Walters and Zacharias and CAO Brian Carruthers to attend the Local Government Leadership Academy (LGLA) 2012 Elected Officials Seminar in Prince George the end of February. He noted that this event takes place before the budget will be approved. 

“Besides the $7,000 cost for two people to attend the FCM, there is the annual membership fee we pay,” he said. “I would have discussed this with the Budget Committee and asked, ‘Is this the best use of that money? What about Woodland sewer and water? Or sidewalks? What is of major importance?’

“These discussions are the key to controlled spending and they must take place in the Budget Committee,” he said. “That’s what it’s there for.”   

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