By Dave Baxter
Originally published: Selkirk Record
An independent report compiled by two retired chartered
accountants shows St. Andrews councillors allegedly overcharged almost $6,000
in indemnities in 2015.
In some cases councillors allegedly charged for meetings they didn’t attend, or ones that didn’t even take place, according to the report.
In some cases councillors allegedly charged for meetings they didn’t attend, or ones that didn’t even take place, according to the report.
The report put together by retired accountants Glen and
Karen McKenzie of St. Andrews alleges the seven members of St. Andrews council
overcharged $5,998.57 on indemnities in
2015.
Glen added he
believes there could be more examples of overcharging they didn’t find, because
they stopped after finding a long list of examples of indemnity errors.
"The amounts
provided are based on what we did find, but there could be more,” Glen said,
who added they spent more than a month working on the independent report.
The report alleges
rookie Coun. Rob Hogg overcharged $2,283.04
on his indemnities for 2015.
It also alleges
Coun. Ken Keryluk overcharged $1,391.48, first-term mayor
George Pike overcharged $941.67, and Coun. Rob Ataman overcharged $884.91.
Coun.
Russ Paradoski allegedly overcharged $241.78, Joy Sul
overcharged $238.25, and deputy mayor Laurie Hunt overcharged $17.44, for
a total of $5,998.57 according
to the report.
McKenzie said
another St. Andrews resident asked him if he would take a look at councillor’s
indemnities, because of his accounting background, but he said once he stared
to uncover errors he was “shocked.”
The report claims
Keryluk and Paradoski charged for meetings there is no record of them attending,
and claims Keryluk charged five times for meetings where there is no record
they even took place.
In 12 alleged cases
Coun. Hogg charged both hourly rates plus half or full day rates for the same
day of meetings essentially charging twice for the same meeting, and Mayor Pike
allegedly made the same error four times in 2015.
In 2015 articles were published in both the Selkirk Record
and the Winnipeg Free Press in which St. Andrews councillor Rob Ataman said
council was going to make changes to how councillors receive indemnities, in an
effort to reduce costs.
He specifically mentioned they were changing their bylaw so
councillors would not be able to charge full or half day rates for meeting in
Selkirk.
Despite his comments Ataman allegedly charged full or half
day rates when he should have charged hourly rates for meetings in Selkirk
seven times in 2015 according to the McKenzie report.
McKenzie first presented to the report to council at a
meeting on April 5,
After the meeting the Selkirk Record spoke with Deputy Mayor
Laurie Hunt who said he believes indemnities were incorrect for 2015 because of
a few “honest mistakes.”
Hunt claims council changed the rules on travelling to
Selkirk in February of 2015, and right after the change he believes “one councillor”
continued to charge incorrectly.
“I think that only happened once or twice,” Hunt said. “And
that was right at the change-over of the bylaw.
“And I believe it was one councillor, and it was made in
error. That hasn’t happened in over a year.”
Despite Hunt’s comments the report makes claims of multiple
errors in indemnities for 2015, and Hunt admitted the person who does their indemnity
paperwork doesn’t question councillor’s expenses, so it is completely up to
councillors to fill them out correctly.
“We’re signing the indemnity sheet and we’re saying it’s
correct. It’s 99.9 per cent on the councillors to do this correct,” he said.
Coun. Joy Sul who has admitted she has overcharged $238.25 because of what she said were
errors, says she plans to pay back
the money “in full,” and added she is “very concerned” about what the report
has uncovered,
“This is a very professional report, and this is their
background”. Sul said. “I saw the report I was quite bothered.”
Sul said new councillors were not given proper instructions
on how to fill out indemnities when they first started on council, and there is
no consistency to how they are filled out, and no one checks them.
But she added she does not believe all the errors were
honest mistakes
When asked if councillors were making mistakes, or in some
cases overcharging it on purpose Sul simply said “both.”
Sul said when she was first elected she asked the person who
does the indemnity paperwork what the protocol was for handing in indemnities,
and she said the response she got was ‘you hand it in, I pay it’
Ataman was contacted for comment but said council prefers to
have the mayor or deputy mayor talk to media.
The McKenzie’s are asking for a number of changed to the St.
Andrews indemnity bylaw to make it more “consistent and defined.”
McKenzie said he is not going through councillor indemnities
“to make people look bad.”
“We did this because if residents don’t go through the
records then council will go unchecked. The only way we can do something is to
challenge this,” he said.
The couple have given all members of council a copy of the
report, and said they will give them “reasonable time to respond.”
