The Rural Municipality of McKillop has appointed an interim administrator to replace the administrator who was let go earlier this month after a significant proposed tax increase.
The move comes after the province ordered an investigation into the R.M., citing concerns about the governance and administration.
Reeve Howard Arndt says council was left in the dark about the financial state of the community, and didn't know of the deficit being carried over from 2017. Adding the former administrator told him not to expect any major tax increases this year.
Arndt says the R.M. purchased some machines recently, which they would not have done had they known the financial state of the R.M. Adding his council inherited a poor system of financial planning, and is committed to changing the system.
The province expects to complete the inspection by the middle of February, and will then decide if any further action is warranted.
Arndt doesn't expect the current taxes to change all that much.
"I’m sure they're not going to find the fact that there was any fraud or that kind of stuff going on. But whenever some professionals come in to take a look at your operation… they'll bring in a specialist and they'll go through and find things and make recommendations, this could be done better or that could be done better. And if that's done, in this particular case, because it is coming through the minister's office, we're likely to adopt them,” Arndt said,
Arndt says ratepayers will see taxes go down next year, as council develops its new budgeting system. The budget for next year is expected to be completed by the end of 2018, in order to avoid relying on one person’s say so.
The R.M. says other personnel decisions are likely to be announced next week.
