Council again debated attendance at next month’s AKBLG, as Coun. Julia Butler attempted to have council rescind a previous motion regarding which councillors will attend.
It was Coun. Christine Thompson’s motion from the Feb. 27 meeting of council regarding attendance at the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments (AKBLG) conference in Rossland this April. Thompson moved that she, Grand Forks mayor Frank Konrad and Coun. Chris Hammett should be the attending councillors; this motion was met with opposition from Butler and Coun. Bev Tripp. Both councillors objected on the grounds that the conference was relatively inexpensive to attend and that Tripp should attend given her status as a new councillor with a motion on the floor.
At the March 13 meeting, Butler argued in her report that the motion was actually invalid given the bylaws of the AKBLG and the city.
“There are a few issues to address her; the first being a procedural one. The AKBLG constitution states that 2.2) All elected officials of the member shall be entitled to have a voice and vote at annual general and extraordinary meetings of the association [and] 2.4) Every member and representative shall comply with the constitution and bylaws of the association and its rules and policies,” Butler quotes from the AKBLG constitution.
“I would suggest the motion passed at our last regular meeting was out of order as it goes against the constitution of the AKBLG by not allowing ‘all elected officials of the member’ to have a voice and a vote,” Butler states. “I was going to put forward a motion to rescind, but after research I discovered it is not necessary and the original motion was out of order and therefore void.”
Butler said at the meeting and in a statement to the Gazette after reviewing the city’s Statements of Financial Information (SOFI) reports, she didn’t believe the issue was cost.
“After reviewing the SOFI reports for the city I discovered that [council expenses in] 2015 [were] $27, 000. My share was around $2,000 (the second-lowest expenses on council),” Butler said. She pointed to the higher expenses of many councillors, including Hammett at $6,000 and Thompson at $5,000.
Butler also said she had received an email from RDKB Area D/Rural Grand Forks director Roly Russell encouraging council to allow everyone to attend. Russell sits on the board of the AKBLG as a director.
“I was taken aback when I opened my email and saw the message from Director Russell. Why he would choose to comment on municipal business about the city of Grand Forks is beyond me,” Thompson said in response. “It is totally inappropriate that he would involve himself in our city’s business and I will be expressing that to concern to him when I see him next.”
Butler also noted the relatively low cost of registering for the AKBLG compared to other conferences — between $200 and $400 plus accommodations, and indicated that should council allow her to attend, she’d pay the entrance fee herself.
“If this were really about money council would have all discussed this ahead of time and come to an informed decision together,” Butler said.
Coun. Colleen Ross said she was surprised the motion to send councillors had been put forward while she was away and she had hope council could come to a collaborative decision.
“When I am at those events I consider myself an ambassador for the city and I make sure I represent the city in a way that enhances the dignity of the city and I hope all councilors do that,” Ross added.
Council closes discussion on the reports without rescinding or modifying attendance at the AKBLG, which will be taking place April 26-28 in Rossland.
