Audit of Brampton Mayor Susan Fennells spending will go to police Mayor and staff filed more than $131,000 in improper expenses, audit finds CBC News A forensic audit that details multiple breaches of spending rules by Brampton, Ont., Mayor Susan Fennell will be forwarded to police. After a heated debate Wednesday afternoon, council voted in favour of the motion by Coun. Elaine Moore to forward the findings of the 96-page audit by Deloitte to police. There were cheers from some councillors and applause from the public gallery after the vote passed. Fennell, who is seeking re-election, said she wants the police review of the audit to happen before the Oct. 27 municipal vote. The audit, released late Tuesday night after a four-month investigation, found that Fennel breached spending rules 265 times. It found more than $131,000 in expenses made by Fennell and her staff went against city rules. Fennell slams reports of giving contracts to friend It also said another 79 expenses totalling more than $150,000 may have breached the rules. Some of the expenses include non-economy flight passes, jewelry, a number of mobile phone IQ tests, premium hotel rooms and credit card charges that were not for city business. If there are changes that need to be made, I will make them.—Susan Fennell, Brampton, Ont., mayor The report found no evidence of wrongdoing for a trip to Florida for a sister-city agreement. It also cleared the mayor of using city staffers for organizing private fundraisers. Several expenses of concern were related to flight passes the mayor and her staff used for travel to Federation of Canadian Municipalities meetings. The cost exceeded the economy-class fare paid by councillors flying to the same meetings. The auditors found several instances in which an average trip using a flight pass cost more than $1,000 above the average price of a single ticket. The audit also found $4,685.68 in expired flight-pass credits. Fennell released a statement saying she accepts much of the report but not all of it. “I have not read all of the report. I accept much of what it has to say, but not all of what it has to say,” Fennell said. If there are changes that need to be made, I will make them.” Councillor blames rule change Brampton Coun. John Sprovieri is among those whose spending was put under the microscope, and was found to have improperly claimed expenses of $558, money he said Wednesday morning he intends to repay. I didnt expect it to be this bad, Sprovieri said Wednesday on CBCs Metro Morning, referring to the audits findings. Sprovieri attributed the trouble to a change in the rules. In 2008, the city switched to a value-based policy which, he said, gave councillors and the mayor more freedom to spend, with less oversight from the city manager. City staff had to approve spending under the previous, rule-based policy, he said. This is where the abuse comes in, he said. This is where the system failed. We cannot rely on a value-based policy where we depend on individual people to make decisions with taxpayer dollars. Sprovieri attributed his improper expenses — tickets to a community fundrasier — to a misunderstanding of the rules. He said he plans to repay the money, and introduce a motion in council for his colleagues to do the same. Sources from CBC News
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 22:04:37 +0000
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