SUNDRE — Despite urging from the mayor to abandon plans for a previously approved mid-term training session due to higher than anticipated costs, council approved the budgeted expense.
Mayor Terry Leslie initially supported spending an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 on a workshop to refresh council members on their roles and responsibilities, especially in light of the modernized Municipal Government Act. After learning the cost would be closer to somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000, Leslie said he was no longer in favour of it.
“I can’t support that expenditure for a one-day seminar with a lawyer,” said Leslie.
“Personally, in my 17 years serving on six councils, four of them as mayor, attending dozens of educational and legal seminars, I don’t believe another daylong orientation is warranted, particularly when council and admin staff are continually looking for ways to save taxpayers’ money.”
So the mayor urged council to reconsider the expenditure of the funds for the seminar.
Coun. Richard Warnock expressed the opinion that the training session is not only necessary, but also already approved by council motion.
“I understand it’s a lot of money, but I wish to put the motion on the floor as recommended by administration, that council supports administration’s recommendation to utilize existing council training funds,” said Warnock.
“This is not an over-expenditure, it is in the budget, and I believe it is warranted,” he added.
Coun. Cheri Funke spoke in favour of the motion and said most of the councils she knows of, such as Mountain View County, typically go on an annual retreat.
“They find it is very important for the councillors to get together, hash out the problems, talk about the good stuff and what’s left to do, and make sure that they’re a copacetic team to get the job done,” said Funke.
“That’s why I support spending this money,” she added.
Coun. Paul Isaac pointed out council had already carried a motion approving the training seminar, and wondered why another was needed.
The mayor said he sought council’s reconsideration on the matter because at the time the original motion was carried, the estimated cost of the session was not yet known. If council agreed, that initial motion would have to be rescinded. But the motion on the floor was to provide administration with direction now that an estimated expense is known and to confirm council’s intent to move forward, he added.
Coun. Rob Wolfe supported Warnock’s motion, and also agreed with Isaac that council had already approved the training.
“The money’s there already, so it’s not additional funding,” he said.
Coun. Todd Dalke, who agreed with Leslie that the price tag for the one-day seminar was rather steep, sought clarification from administration on whether more specific details about the agenda for the training session were available to get a better idea what the expense would include.
“I would certainly like a refresher,” he said. But not, he added, at the proposed cost.
The mayor said that Sundre’s chief administrative officer had endeavoured to set a time and date for the seminar, but had yet to establish a specific agenda.
“Council members have been asked what we would all like to see on that agenda, but it hasn’t been specifically laid out,” said Leslie.
Dalke then inquired about the possibility of deferring a final decision until a later date.
Tabling the item until the chief administrative officer was present was an option, the mayor said.
“I don’t think there’s a pressing timeline issue,” he added.
However, as a point of order, Warnock said his motion had to first be addressed before any other courses of action could be proposed and decided upon.
“We should call the vote on the motion that’s on the floor. If it’s defeated, then another councillor can make a motion to table this item possibly to a different time,” he said.
The mayor agreed, and called for a vote on the motion, which ended up carrying with Leslie and Dalke opposed.
