RVC introducing quarterly councillor expense reports after election

Rocky View County will be producing quarterly expense reports for its councillors following the Oct. 18 election.

The expense reports will be produced on a per-councillor basis and be accessible to the public on the county website site.

The move is being made to increase public transparency, accountability, trust, and information access while decreasing FOIP requests. There has been an abundance of expense reports FOIPed during the current term.

Standardized expense reporting will also be introduced after the election, and training will be provided to the new council.

The decision follows the introduction of a  jointly-sponsored notice of motion by Div. 9 councillor Crystal Kissel and Div. 3 councillor Kevin Hanson on June 1.

The councillors wanted the reports to be available retroactively to the beginning of the current council term. It became a point of contention.

Kissell and Hanson maintained it was important for the expense reports of the current council to be published on the website to provide transparency, especially with an election just months away.

Others believed because current reporting methods aren't standardized, it could lead to misinterpretation of the information.

The majority of councillors stated publically anyone wishing copies of their expense reports can contact them directly. They would be provided, and any questions would be answered.