Several municipalities expressed serious concerns when the provincial government installed an auditor general for local government.
And, no wonder. Who wants another level of government sticking its nose in your business? And for muncipalities who lean to the left, having a government that leans to the right messing in your affairs can easily be interpreted as a political manoeuvre.
The appointment of a local government auditor general was one of Christy Clark’s election promises in 2011. She vowed that such an office could scrutinize rising municipal spending and property tax hikes in B.C. Sounds like a good idea at first glance. But then the last auditor general for local government ran into trouble with her own bosses at the provincial level.
The fledgling new department raised eyebrows when staff complained about mismanagement, overwork and undelivered promises. The department was in trouble – much to the delight of some municipal politicians who questioned how credible the office could be when it couldn’t even run its own affairs.
The province stepped in and removed that auditor general, and all was quiet for awhile. With the appointment of a new AG, the jury, as they say is still out. The new AG not only has to rebuild a tattered department, but also build credibility.
The report, detailed on page 3 of today’s paper, on the city’s management of the New Westminster Police Department, is one of the new AG’s first works in this process, and it seems to have been a productive one, although we suspect the new AG’s department is still on a learning curve where the internal operations of municipalities are concerned.
After all, not every city operates in an identical fashion. In this case the city jumped on board with the AG’s recommendations, and taxpayers may assume that there has been proper oversight. This is a good thing.
There’s no question that a second set of eyes on municipalities and towns in the province is needed. Smaller or more isolated local governments are at risk for abuse. Cronyism and conflicts are unfortunately attracted to money. And taxpayer money is often seen as an ever-replenishing supply.
Could the AG’s office overstep its boundaries? Perhaps it could. Can it justify its existence? We hope so. Checks and balances where taxpayer money is concerned are always a good thing.
