Report on RM of Mckillop’s finances not yet available to public

An inspector tasked with delving into the financial situation of the RM of Mckillop has completed her report, which has been provided to the reeve but not the public.

The Ministry of Government Relations said in a statement that it received Carol Ingham’s report on Sept. 15 — the day it was due. Reeve Howard Arndt said he got it on Monday, but was not at liberty to divulge its contents.

Ingham, a former administrator and government official, began her work on Aug. 22. In a news conference that day, Government Relations Minister Warren Kaeding said he was taking the “extremely rare” step to order the investigation after hearing concerns from ratepayers.

Residents of the RM, which abuts the eastern shore of Last Mountain Lake, have objected to a property tax hike of roughly 130 per cent for residential property owners, as well as an $850 base tax. Arndt ascribed it to a large unexpected expense item, mounting legal fees, tax arrears and other financial challenges.

The RM’S administrator was later removed from office.

According to Arndt, Ingham and her staff were in the RM office “a fair bit” in the weeks that followed Kaeding ’s announcement.

He said he is unaware of what the next steps for the RM will be.

“That will be up to the minister,” he said.

Kaeding will now take “the time needed to thoroughly review the report,” according to the ministry’s statement.

There is no timeline for when the review will be complete or when Ingham’s report will be revealed to the public — though the ministry said it intends to release it.

“The provincial government thanks the RM of Mckillop for its co-operation in this matter, and appreciates the patience of its citizens as this review occurs,” the ministry’s statement said.

In addition to financial concerns, Ingham was also asked to look into the status of outstanding petitions submitted by residents and a number of legal cases involving the RM.

Arndt said the RM is carrying on with business as usual.