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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 27, 2015����� °� �`� 2014 Election Compliance ����_ � �' - _ - Audit Committee I Meeting Minutes Monday, July 27, 2015 6:00 pm - Council Chambers Chair: John Hunter Present: John Hunter Paul Jones Howard Smith Also Present: Debbie Shields, City Clerk Lisa Harker, Deputy Clerk Debbie Shields, City Clerk, opened the meeting and explained the process to be followed. The City Clerk called for nominations for a Committee Chair for the 2014 Election Compliance Audit Committee. Howard Smith nominated John Hunter to be the Chair. No other nominations were put forward. Moved by Howard Smith That John Hunter be the Chair for the 2014 Election Compliance Audit Committee. Carried (I) Disclosure of Interest No disclosures of interest were noted. (II) Delegations Keith Falconer — Applicant Filed application regarding Ward Two Candidate Bill McLean's Financial Statement Keith Falconer, 710 Lublin Avenue, Pickering, appeared before the Committee and stated that the financial statements filed on March 11, 2015, gave him reasonable grounds to believe that Bill McLean, Regional Councillor, Ward 2 had contravened provisions of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and requested that a compliance audit be carried out. Mr. Falconer noted that he referenced the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and the Candidates Guide from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing in formulating his allegations. Mr. Falconer submitted correspondence to the City Clerk relating to his presentation. ����� °� �`� 2014 Election Compliance ����_ � �' - _ - Audit Committee I Meeting Minutes Monday, July 27, 2015 6:00 pm - Council Chambers Chair: John Hunter Mr. Falconer stated that his concerns were based on the following: a) Nomination Filing Fee — the refund of the filing fee was omitted from the Financial Statements; b) Brochures - expenses were omitted from the Financial Statements; c) Signs — expenses were omitted from the Financial Statements; d) Nomination Filing Fee — not noted as an expense on the Financial Statements; e) Supplementary Financial Statement — dates are noted incorrectly; f) Supplementary Financial Statement — is incomplete, pages are missing; g) Supplementary Financial Statement — Auditors Report is missing; and h) Supplementary Financial Statement — the termination of the supplementary reporting period was done incorrectly. John Hunter responded to Mr. Falconer's allegations, advising him that his allegations regarding the nomination filing fee was correct, that it was not included on the Financial Statements. Mr. Hunter also noted that brochure and sign expenses were included collectively within the "Advertising" section of the budget, and that the Committee had received receipts from Mr. McLean's auditor to support this. Regarding Mr. Falconer's allegations pertaining to the Supplementary Financial Statements, Mr. Hunter noted that the City of Pickering received an opinion from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and confirmed that the Supplementary Financial Statements were submitted correctly, and that there were no errors as noted above. Specifically, the dates on the Statement are correct, there are no pages missing, an Auditor's Report was not required, and the termination of the reporting period was done correctly. 2. Bill McLean Candidate Ward Two Bill McLean, Regional Councillor, Ward Two, introduced his accountant, Neil Sinclair, as his representative. Neil Sinclair of Hurren Sinclair Maclntyre LLP, appeared before the Committee to respond to questions raised regarding Bill McLean's Financial Statements. Mr. Sinclair advised that he concurred with items raised, specifically that the nomination filing fee was omitted, and that brochures and signs were not noted on the correct line item, but that the Statement was prepared on a"net basis" and that all expenses were captured within. Members of the Committee asked questions of Mr. Sinclair for clarification purposes. 2 C���� a� ��: ����_ � �� - II (III) Matters for Consideration 2014 Election Compliance Audit Committee Meeting Minutes Monday, July 27, 2015 6:00 pm - Council Chambers Chair: John Hunter Discussion ensued regarding the application. Paul Jones stated on behalf of the Committee that they are satisfied that all was captured within the Financial Statements. 1. Application for Compliance Audit on Bill McLean — Ward Two Candidate Financial Statement Submitted by Keith Falconer Moved by Howard Smith Seconded by PaulJones That the request for a Compliance Audit review of Bill McLean's 2014 Election Financial Statements by Keith Falconer be rejected due to the contraventions not being sufficient to warrant an audit. (IV) Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 6:25 pm. 3 Carried