The list of accounts payable will continue to be included in the council package for Whitewater Region Township council, which is also available online.
Councillor Charlene Jackson’s of saving a few moments of council time by eliminating the accounts payable from the council package was not agreed to by all of council at its Dec. 17 council meeting.
Council received a report from its auditors advising it would be best if the accounts payable remain within the package so council would be transparent on who the township issue cheques to.
Coun. Jackson said council would have received the list but it wouldn’t be available in the package. If a resident wanted to see the list, he or she could request it at the front office counter.
Ath the Dec. 17 council meeting, Ms. Jackson said there is no legal requirement under the municipal act that the accounts be included in the council package.
Treasurer Marsha Hawthorne said council is responsible for all of the financial dealings within the township.
“It is a good, internal practice for each and every one of you to see the accounts,” she said. “This is a way of being transparent.”
It’s a decision council should make if it wants the accounts list in the package or not, Ms. Hawthorne said.
Coun. Jackson said several municipalities do not include the list in the council package.
Her main concern was for the cheques that are made out to personal people, rather than to companies.
Councillor Chris Olmstead felt it was important to keep the accounts list in the council package.
“As a new councillor, I thought it was kind of important o keep it in the package,” he said, adding, “if for not other reason than to just keep myself abreast of new information on a month to month basis of what cheques are being written.”
He noted he met with Ms. Hawthorne to discuss what happens in the township’s treasury department, allowing him to have a better understanding of the system.
Councillor Cathy Regier likes the transparency of council by keeping the list of accounts in the package.
“There is nothing confidential,” she said. “We are open, we need to keep it open.”
Councillor Daryl McLaughlin said its taxpayers dollars being spent and taxpayers should know where the dollars are being spent.
“I don’t understand where the confidentiality comes in,” he said. “It’s taxpayers dollars and taxpayers should know where their dollars are going.”
Mayor Hal Johnson said there was never any intent to keep anything from the public.
Council agreed the accounts payable list would remain within the council package, as it was before.
