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Local: Ball back in High Prairie council’s court
Commentary by Jeff Burgar
for South Peace News
The Town of High Prairie corporate review didn’t reveal any “smoking guns” as these things often do.
Town and county councils are often hotbeds of intrigue, political mayhem, skullduggery and outright abuse of power. And those are just the good ones!
Lac La Biche town council was noted for councillors jumping over the chamber rotunda and pounding the bejeepers out of each other. Clear Hills County was recently scolded for councillors billing the taxpayers for, among other things, attending their own Christmas party. Peace River town council a few years ago threatened to stop their fire trucks from attending any accident or fire outside the town boundaries while arguing with surrounding muncipal districts.
Other governments have their day. Peavine Metis Settlement was under administration following problems a few years ago. Last year, the entire Northland School Division board was kicked out of office.
And long-time residents of High Prairie might remember our own High Prairie School Division board was also sacked a few decades ago for their antics.
There is a certain slope to the downward death spiral. In Peace River, and when squabbling between the M.D. of Big Lakes and Town of High Prairie was an everyday happening several years ago, cooler heads finally prevailed. In both cases, some politicians resigned. Some were demoted from the top offices. Some didn’t get elected again.
Things were considered awkward enough, and an election far enough away, in High Prairie that council took the next step by ordering a corporate review in the fall of last year. That, after realizing they had five administrators in nine years, three treasurers, an astoundingly high audit bill, unhappy staff, tax hikes that seemed to have no end, administrative flub after flub with nobody taking responsibility, to name only a few problems.
The step after that, seemingly lost on several councillors, was if council didn’t act and things got worse, the Province of Alberta would step in to do their own review. That would be the best case. The worst case would be a special administrator hired to run council’s affairs after firing the entire council. All paid for of course, by local taxpayers.
So, with 53 recommendations the result of the Grover/Szulmas review, there should be some changes coming. That is, if council decides to adopt the recommendations.
As said, there were no smoking guns. There wasn’t even mention of the $1.7 million in unclaimed grants nobody finished the paperwork on and could have been lost. Even if not mentioned, since Town CAO John Eriksson and treasurer Therese Wiebe took positions, that money is on the way, and another $1.3 million might show up, too.
Just on that, the $40,000 or so spent on the review is good money spent.
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