Continuous Improvement Leads to New Council Member Expense Policy
As the City of Vaughan continues to develop as a major urban centre, there has been a need to update and implement new policies and procedures. The goal is “continuous improvement” in how the City operates. This has included an audit of each and every department in order to determine how well they are functioning and what, if any, changes need to be made in regards to existing policies and ones that are not in place, but may be necessary.
The audit process of city departments is now more than halfway complete. Throughout these audits it has been noted that due to Vaughan’s rapid growth, some procedures and practices have been changed, while others have yet to be brought up-to-date. The bottom line is to improve efficiency and deliver value to the taxpayer.
As part of the continuous improvement process, the Audit and Operational Review Committee determined that the City Auditor should undertake a comprehensive review, update and expansion of the policy on expenses for Members of Council. With the Code of Ethical Conduct for Members of Council now in place, Council Members now needed a comprehensive Expense Policy which would provide guidance on office expenses – what is allowed, what is not, and what information is required on certain expenses.
January 6, 2010 Update |
The Council Member Expense Policy is now complete and will take effect February 1, 2010. The Policy lists expenses that may be charged against a Council Member’s own office budget, or against the Council corporate budget. It includes ‘eligible’ and ‘ineligible’ expenses, and may include a written explanation.
The proposed expense policy states:
- Council Members or their staff must submit claims for reimbursement at least once a month;
- All requests for payment or reimbursement for expenses must be supported by appropriate original documentation, original receipts and proof of payment;
- Council Members’ business expenses and personal expenses must be kept separate;
- Travelling from home to work (normal place of work) and return is considered a personal expense, as set out by Canada Revenue Agency;
- Paid advertising that a Council Member places after the cut-off date of June 30 during an election year, would be considered ineligible;
- Councillors must buy wireless equipment and set up a plan through the City to take advantage of its corporate discount. Also, there is a one-phone and one-plan limit.
There is also a section for ‘Election Year’ at the end of the report that provides policies for Council Members to follow during an election year. Council Members will not be allowed to use the office expense budget for advertising, newsletters and community expenses after June 30, 2010.