City of Revelstoke left hanging after Auditor General for Local Government sacked

Need to know: In 2013, Revelstoke City Council volunteered for a limited audit from the new Auditor General for Local Government, but in the past weeks that organization has imploded in a high-profile political feud in Victoria, and Revelstoke is nowhere nearer to getting its already overdue audit of its operational spending procedures.

The City of Revelstoke will have to wait longer for its first audit from the Auditor General for Local Government (AGLG) after auditor-general Basia Ruta was sacked Monday.
AGLG auditor-general Ruta’s departure follows weeks of controversy in Victoria after opposition MLAs criticized the government for millions in spending and a lack of results from the office.

The AGLG office was created two years ago with a local government oversight role. The AGLG promised 18 audits in two years but delivered only three at a cost of $5.2 million.

Opposition NDP critics feasted on the irony of a spending watchdog blowing out its own budget with few results.

When the AGLG was announced the fiscally-focused watchdog for local government wasn’t a popular concept amongst local government cultures in B.C. — big brother snooping about, telling them their business.

However, in 2013, Revelstoke City Council went against the trend and voluntarily signed up for the auditor-general’s first wave of audits. The council of the time reasoned it was a free audit that could help guide the municipality.

The limited Revelstoke audit was to explore how the city handles spending on day-to-day operations. Revelstoke was one of six local governments that was to receive this particular “procurement” audit. To date, the Corporation of Delta is the only one that has been handed the report.

The 45-page Delta audit document is a bit of a snoozer. The report says Delta’s municipal government is doing a good job when it comes to buying supplies and dealing with vendors. It  offers up some policy recommendations, listing ways the municipality could shore up its procedures.

Far from being an a-ha! moment for amateur local government watchdogs, the bureaucratic-speak recommendations (“revising purchasing division strategic objectives”) would inspire only the flag-salutin’ quartermasters amongst us.

In Victoria, Ms. Ruta has announced she’s lawyered up to seek compensation.

In Revelstoke, it’s unclear when Revelstoke will see its overdue audit — likely no time soon.