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Visit from Municipal Auditor may not happen for years, Mayor says

Kimberley now in the cue for a visit, but it’s a long one

As reported in the Bulletin last week, Kimberley City Council has voted unanimously to request that the B.C. Auditor General for Local Government, Basia Ruta, send in a team to have a look at Audit Topic No. 3 — “Learnings from Local Government Capital Procurement Projects and Asset Management Programs.”

The vote came after Council received a staff report from CAO Scott Sommerville which outlined potential costs, which could be substantial. However, it’s hard to pin down costs to other communities who have been audited because a lot of that information is confidential.

The costs come more in terms of staff time.

“A municipality doesn’t pay for the audit, but the cost is staff time required to meet the needs of the Auditor General,” Mayor Ron McRae. “The staff is at her beck and call during the time the Auditor is here. Plans and projects can get pushed back.”

The original motion, put forward by City Councillor and declared mayoral candidate Don McCormick, was to ask the Local Government Auditor to look at a specific project, the Mark Creek flume rehabilitation.

However, McRae said Council decided it would be in the best interest of the City to go with one of the topics provided by the Auditor’s office.

However, just because a visit is requested doesn’t mean it will produce an immediate visit. Kimberley is now in the cue for a visit.

“The communities in the cue have all put their name forward, we’re not the first,” McRae said. “Scott’s research told us we could be in the cue for at least two years. You could hire her for a one-off but it would cost an arm and a leg.”

 



Carolyn Grant

About the Author: Carolyn Grant

I have been with the Kimberley Bulletin since 2001 and have enjoyed every moment of it.
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