A city councillor would like to utilize the expertise of local residents for input on the financial operations of St. Albert.
Coun. James Burrows suggested to council Monday that the finance and audit committee should include two residents by March 1 to provide input and keep an eye on spending.
“Council doesn’t have the monopoly on good ideas. Anything that’s brought forward should be indulged and looked at,” said Burrows. “I really believe there is a lot of expertise in our city that’s out there and maybe council needs more scrutiny on the way we spend money.”
Burrows said he’s had the idea for a few years since various other committees of council have a recruitment process for civic agencies and boards, which usually consist of one council member and several members of the public.
The only committees with no requirement for public representation are the finance and audit committee and the St. Albert/Sturgeon County intermunicipal affairs committee.
According to Burrows, other communities in the province such as Airdrie have already added public members at large to their finance and audit committees.
Burrows has also been approached by members of the public about the idea and feels someone with a background in land use planning, engineering or accounting would probably be best suited for the role.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time and I think it’s time to implement it,” he said.
The majority of council was in favour of the proposal. Coun. Lorie Garritty was originally opposed but later changed his mind after giving it more thought.
“I had to wrap my head around it, but I’m OK with it. I think it will change the way the finance and audit committee works, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” said Garritty, who reflected upon the environmental advisory committee, which is made up of six civilians and one councillor.
“It’s been very successful having council take a lesser role and put the people to work in the field. I have a lot of faith in the citizens of St. Albert and the expertise they have here.”
The finance and audit committee was established to assist council with matters related to the financial operations of the city.
