Missing Cheque Registers… Again

AGAIN…. Cheque Registers appear to be stuck in the system somewhere?????

Where is March? Where is April? We are at the end of May and again, the public has to ask for something that was at one time simply routine. Our CAO’s and our Council can’t like the days these are posted, but that shouldn’t matter. Take the criticism and get on with your next party.

As taxpayers, we can certainly just wait for budget time and analyze the many overages, but these cheque registers are not simply a review of the year’s finances. The cheque register is the one public document that often reveals the many “hidden truths” while the events that incurred the expense are still fresh in our mind.

I think back to the time the purchase of the arena floor was purchased without the knowledge of Council. “We” discovered it. Councilor Joe B actually questioned it in the next Council meeting, likely BECAUSE we (the public) had been talking about it online.

When I see these delays, it makes me question why there are delays at all. I would expect with today’s accounting software, generating this report would be as simple as entering a set of start and end dates and then hitting print.

But there is a growing audience watching what is going on at Town Hall and they (like me) wonder… is the delay so that adequate editing can be done? Are descriptions modified or deleted so as to avoid embarrassment. Are some entries deleted completely or postponed to another month?

There has been all kinds of spending that should show up on the missing months, but maybe if we wait long enough, people won’t add up all costs associated with a particular project like the Concert Week or the Medical Clinic.

Checks and Balances- our public display of the Cheque Register is a very important tool that contributes to the Checks and Balances that our Municipal Government has put in place through the years. We also have yearly audits. I personally think it would be an interesting section of the yearly audit to include an accounting of all cheque registers and identify if any payments may be mysteriously missing or wrongly identified. These things all lead to a feeling of confidence. When we are denied timely review of these documents, the “confidence”, tends to slide.

So, again I prepare to be attacked personally because I question the reasons that routine practices are no longer routine. I’m okay with that. I knew when I started this 365 day project, it would roll out with personal cost. Sometimes getting the job done simply has to be initiated by someone outside of the organization. Obviously, this is true for timely disclosure of our Cheque Registers.

To be perfectly clear…. My criticism is not directed at the Treasury Staff. Like I said, I suspect they merely have to click and print. It’s not like this is the first time this issue has been raised. I believe the Mayor and CAO simply do not want truly open, transparent, timely disclosure.

If they truly wanted these things, they would attempt to improve the content/ format of these reports and maybe add a deadline to their calendars for sharing before the end of the following month.

Oh… too busy? Yeh… we hear that over and over. Here’s a novel associative memory idea….

Mayor Brian Smith, on your way to work, as you pass the “Welcome to Wasaga Beach” sign, let that be a reminder that the people who live here want to know how you spent our money.

Some of us truly do care, so…

Post the Cheque Registers!

Now!

Please?