Christy Clark’s provincial government is one step closer to establishing an Office of the Auditor General for Local Government (AGLG), as it began its search for audit council members.
The position was posted on the Board Resourcing and Development Office’s (BRDO) website over the weekend, in anticipation of the passage of Bill 20 (AGLG Act) this spring.
Consultations are also under way between the province, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and other organizations regarding potential candidates.
Bill 20, introduced last November, states the primary purpose of the AGLG would be to help local governments find efficiencies in spending and improve program effectiveness by providing neutral, non-binding advice.
The AGLG’s role has been designed to maximize value for money by enabling the AGLG to undertake performance audits and provide information to assist local governments in choosing how best to respond to their communities’ priorities.
The AGLG would report through the Audit Council, comprised of at least five individuals with relevant professional expertise in accounting, auditing, local and regional governance, or provincial governance.
Audit Council members would be appointed by the province for terms of up to three years.
Shachi Kurl, director of provincial affairs, B.C. and Yukon for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said, “Having an independent, unbiased body to scrutinize municipal spending and conduct performance audits is a crucial step in providing accountability and assurance to municipal taxpayers, so they know their tax dollars are spent in the most responsible, effective way possible.”
Jennifer Harrison
@JHarrisonBIV