Ford cracks down on councillors’ expense accounts
Posted April 8, 2011 7:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Mayor Ford has unhitched a few more cars from the City Hall gravy train with new rules for councillors’ office budgets.
His executive committee is about to receive a new framework for review, put into place by deputy mayor Doug Holyday, that will spell out the kind of expenses that are eligible for the 30,000-office budget councillors receive.
The new rules would reportedly put tighter restrictions on travel, on who can approve the travel and the kind of reporting a councillor would be required to do when they return.
“People have just taken advantage of it, they go on trips and there’s no reporting back to us; we don’t know what the benefit to the taxpayer is,” Holyday told 680News.
The recommendations would prevent councillors from renting expensive retail office space for constituency offices, but rather, to use space in civic buildings that are already available.
It would restrict the number of newsletters sent out every year and require councillors to use the printing facilities already available at City Hall, rather than contracting the work out — unless they can find a cheaper price.
The goal is to put an end to the kind of spending on retirement parties, Halloween costumes and private French lessons that enraged so many people in 2010 when the expenses were uncovered.
