Markham set to hire auditor general

Plan is to improve transparency by keeping watching council, staff and how public money is spent.

Thestar.com
April 15, 2015
By Noor Javed

The city of Markham plans to hire an auditor general to keep tabs on the council, staff and the use of public funds in an effort to improve transparency.

It’s a move that follows years of controversy around the failed NHL arena in Markham and a growing sentiment among some residents that there is little accountability at city hall.

“The primary goal would be to make the city more accountable, transparent and more efficient,” said ward 4 councillor Karen Rea, who was a vocal opponent of the arena before being elected as councillor.

Rea said the hiring of an auditor general was an election promise, and so she brought forward a motion in January to have staff to report on how best to do it.

At a council meeting on Monday, staff recommended issuing a request for proposals for an external auditor, who would conduct eight to 10 substantive audits over a four-year period.

Staff said the 2015 budget had already allocated $219,000 for the position, but would cap the fee to $600,000 over four years. The aim is to hire an auditor by the fall.

“There is no one to see what the staff does, so this would just provide additional oversight,” said Rea.

The Markham Citizens Coalition for Responsive Government welcomes the move.

“It is an opportunity to learn from the past and to make sure that the city does better in the future,” said director Marilyn Ginsburg. “It will promote a corporate culture of accountability, transparency and efficiency - all good things for Markham residents.”

The coalition says they would like an auditor general to delve into local matters such as: the arena documents, staff and council remuneration, election spending and value of trade missions abroad.

Markham had an auditor general from 2008 to 2011, but the position wasn’t filled after that. Ingrid Kutter’s job was aimed at: “assisting council in holding itself and it administrators accountable for the quality of stewardship over public funds and for the achievement of value of money in operations.”

During those years, Kutter looked into issues around attendance of staff, procurement and tendering and the management of capital projects.

In addition to the hiring of the auditor general, the city has a part-time integrity commissioner, and a closed meeting investigator.