Council has rejected the idea of allowing members of the public to sit on the city’s finance and audit committee.
Coun. James Burrows proposed the amendments, which would have allowed two members of the public to sit on the committee but have no voting rights over policy. Finance and audit is a committee of council that is comprised of all seven city council members.
Burrows felt more public input on financial issues could help guide the city in a direction that is accepted by community members.
“I encourage my fellow city councillors to support this change to the bylaw and take a big step forward with this amendment,” he said Monday. “I think there’s enough well-educated people in the citizenry that would be able to serve this committee.”
Mayor Nolan Crouse, along with councillors Roger Lemieux, Lorie Garritty, and Len Bracko voted against the motion. Bracko felt the current bylaw governing the finance and audit committee is fine as is, and that the public has a chance to provide input at committee meetings.
Lemieux felt it would be unfair to ask members of the public to understand some of the complex issues the committee reviews. Councillors, he noted, are immersed in such information every day.
“There’s a lot of information that has to be absorbed to be able to make wise decisions during finance and audit,” he said.
While not purely fiscal in scope, Garritty noted the St. Albert economic development committee (SAEDAC) advises council on many issues that go before finance and audit.
After the vote Burrows expressed his frustration about council’s refusal to allow community members to have a greater role on the committee.
“I don’t see how you can say we are more intelligent than the rest of the community,” said Burrows, raising objections from other councillors.
The remark was cut off and drew a sharp rebuke from the mayor.
“That’s an inappropriate comment about your peers,” said Crouse.
Former mayor Richard Plain, who told council Monday that he believed the community members on the committee would be a good thing, later said by rejecting the amendments council missed a chance to improve stewardship over the city’s finances.
Plain noted SAEDAC only deals with economic issues and doesn’t deal with the larger picture.
“If you think of your other committees in the city, they draw on the community at large for input.”
Burrows later said that he was disappointed in the motion’s defeat, and said he was surprised that the mayor voted against it.
“I’ve always known Nolan to support public input. I don’t know why he didn’t this time.”
Crouse noted residents often give their input through emails, letters and other forms. Unlike most public committees, which have councillors on them, Crouse said the finance committee should be made up of elected officials.
“The electorate decides who is going to represent them on council,” said Crouse. “Having non-elected officials on that committee isn’t acceptable.”
